By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has clarified his stance on the Federal Government’s agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Initially, he claimed that no formal agreement existed between the government and ASUU, but later admitted that a 2009 pact is indeed valid and binding.
According to the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement between the parties.
According to the ministry, a renegotiation committee established in 2017 produced the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021, but it was never signed by the Federal Government.
Dr. Alausa explained that his earlier statement about no new signed agreement referred specifically to the 2021 draft Nimi Briggs document, which hasn’t been formally executed.
The Federal Government remains committed to resolving the 16-year impasse with ASUU in a sustainable and constitutionally backed manner.
The ministry urges stakeholders to disregard any misinterpretation of the minister’s earlier remarks, stating the government’s commitment to addressing ASUU’s demands under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
