The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified remarks made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on Thursday regarding agreements between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a statement issued on Friday, the Ministry explained that the last formally signed agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU was in 2009, and that subsequent efforts to review the pact have not produced a binding document.
The statement noted that in 2017, the then Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, inaugurated a renegotiation committee that produced the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021. However, the government emphasized that the 2021 draft was never signed.
“When the Honourable Minister stated yesterday 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 said.
Reaffirming government’s position, the Ministry stressed that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last binding pact, while the Nimi Briggs draft only serves as a framework for ongoing discussions.
The statement further assured stakeholders that the Federal Government is committed to resolving the 16-year stalemate with ASUU in a “sustainable and constitutionally backed manner,” adding that universities must remain open for teaching and research.
The Ministry urged the public to disregard misinterpretations of the Minister’s remarks, reiterating that the government’s commitment to addressing ASUU’s demands remains firm under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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