3 weeks ago
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Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has faulted the determination of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to embark connected a two-week indefinite onslaught action, describing the enactment arsenic unnecessary and unjustifiable fixed the national government’s extended efforts to conscionable virtually each of the union’s demands.
Speaking connected Channels Television’s meal show, ‘The Morning Brief’ connected Monday, Alausa expressed disappointment that ASUU proceeded with the concern enactment contempt what helium called the government’s “proactive engagement and goodwill.”
“In the past 2 years, determination has not been an ASUU strike. This is not a coincidence but the effect of proactive engagement by the government,” the curate said. “Over the past 24 hours, myself and the vice president of the national government–tertiary negotiations committee person been moving and talking to ASUU. I tin archer you today, literally, each the demands of ASUU person been met, truthful I bash not spot immoderate crushed wherefore ASUU embarked connected the strike.”
Alausa revealed that adjacent earlier ASUU’s announcement, determination were indications that the national had already resolved to spell connected onslaught careless of ongoing negotiations.
“We had fillers that contempt america negotiating with them successful bully faith, they were determined to embark connected the strike. Even connected Friday, I was getting substance messages that ASUU had decided to spell connected strike,” helium said. “When you predefine your enactment contempt each goodwill and motion from the government, what bash you truly want?”
The curate went connected to database respective commitments already fulfilled by the Tinubu administration.
“We’ve virtually addressed each azygous contented that ASUU is requesting,” Alausa said. “On earned world allowances, we’ve paid ₦50 cardinal — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu swiftly approved that outgo months ago. The earned world allowance has present been mainstreamed arsenic portion of their salaries, truthful determination volition ne'er beryllium arrears again.”
He further disclosed that ₦150 cardinal was approved for the long-outstanding Needs Assessment Fund, with ₦50 cardinal already released.
“The president promised to merchandise it successful tranches of ₦50 billion. The archetypal 1 has been released and is sitting successful the Needs Assessment account. It is ASUU that is holding that disbursement from being released,” helium claimed.
Alausa besides addressed different fiscal and payment issues, including promotion arrears, postgraduate supervision allowances, and wage adjustments, noting that each had been factored into the 2026 budget.
“We told them the promotion arrears volition beryllium paid successful the 2026 budget. The issues causing those arrears person been resolved. The 25% and 35% wage awards volition besides beryllium paid successful 2026, each nationalist servants person not been paid ,” helium said.
The curate explained that a high-level method committee co-chaired by himself, the Minister of Labour, and the Minister of State for Education had met with ASUU enactment to finalise reviews of their conditions of work and payment demands.
“We went enactment by enactment connected each their requests, finalised those reviews, and presented the government’s counter-responses to them this past Friday,” Alausa noted. “We besides got statesmanlike support to make a caller payment enactment called Teachers’ Welfare, which volition cater to university, polytechnic, and assemblage of acquisition staff.”
Despite these efforts, the curate lamented that ASUU failed to respond arsenic promised.
“We gave them everything they requested and they promised to get backmost to america successful 24 hours. We waited until Saturday afternoon, nary response. On Sunday evening, the ASUU president texted that helium would call, and soon after, helium released a connection announcing the strike,” Alausa said. “When the vice president urged him to reconsider and conscionable again, the ASUU president replied that their enactment had to instrumentality location to their families.”
Alausa appealed to the national to reconsider its decision, assuring Nigerian students and parents that the national authorities remains committed to ensuring world stability.
“This onslaught should not person gone on,” helium said. “Let maine reassure our students that the national authorities nether President Tinubu volition bash everything humanly imaginable to support you successful school. I besides privation to reassure parents that this authorities is doing everything imaginable to guarantee their wards stay successful school. I americium pleading with ASUU to shelve this strike.”
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