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FG signs renegotiated ASUU agreement to resolve long-standing disputes and curb strikes in public universities.
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New pact replaces stalled 2009 FG–ASUU agreement, addressing funding, welfare and academic stability.
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Education minister Tunji Alausa calls deal a turning point for uninterrupted academic calendars.
The Federal Government has signed and unveiled a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), a move aimed at ending recurring strikes that have disrupted Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions for years.
The agreement was unveiled at a ceremony held at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) headquarters in Abuja, with Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, presiding.
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READ ALSO: ASUU, FG Reach Breakthrough, End 16-Year Renegotiation Crisis
The new deal followed extensive negotiations between a federal government committee and ASUU, concluded in 2025, and effectively brings to an end a 16-year stalemate surrounding the implementation of the controversial 2009 FG–ASUU agreement on lecturers’ conditions of service.
Speaking at the event, ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, said the union was cautiously optimistic that the government would fully implement the agreement without resorting to strike threats.
“We are hopeful that this administration will be different, although past experiences make us cautious. Our expectation is that implementation will not require industrial action,” Piwuna said.
In his remarks, Alausa described the agreement as a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system, praising President Bola Tinubu for prioritising quality education and uninterrupted academic calendars.
“This is more than a document. It represents renewed trust, restored confidence and a clear commitment to stabilising Nigeria’s public universities,” the minister said.
Nigeria’s university system has long been plagued by ASUU strikes over issues such as funding, infrastructure decay, staff welfare and university autonomy.
Although an agreement was reached in 2009, implementation stalled due to financial constraints, inflation and emerging disputes, necessitating a comprehensive renegotiation now concluded.
