Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, has corrected his prior claims that there was no binding agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), admitting that a written agreement was signed in 2009.
In a statement released on Friday, Alausa stated that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement is still the only valid and binding instrument in place.
This comes less than 24 hours after Alausa dismissed ASUU’s position as based on a mere draft, asserting that no agreement had ever been signed—a charge the union quickly refuted.
However, the ministry, through its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, recognised that the 2009 deal was the last formally signed pact.
The statement explained that efforts to evaluate the agreement began in 2017, when Mallam Adamu Adamu, then Minister of Education, formed a renegotiation group. That procedure resulted in the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021, although the administration emphasised that it was never properly executed.
Titled “Clarification on Minister’s Statement Regarding FGN-ASUU Agreements”, the release noted, “When the Honourable Minister stated that there had been ‘no new signed agreement’ with ASUU, he was referring specifically to the 2021 draft Nimi Briggs document, which has not been formally executed. The Ministry therefore reaffirms that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement. The 2021 draft serves only as the latest framework for discussions.”
The ministry also stated that the government remains dedicated to resolving the 16-year-old deadlock with ASUU through long-term and constitutionally sound means, in accordance with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
It asked the public and stakeholders to avoid any misinterpretations of the minister’s previous words, emphasising that keeping universities open for teaching and research is the administration’s top priority.
