KEY POINTS

• FG says all ASUU demands have been fully addressed.

• ₦50 billion in earned allowances and ₦150 billion in assessment funds released.

• ASUU maintains strike despite government assurances of compliance.

The Federal Government has insisted that it has met every demand made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing the ongoing strike by lecturers as unjustified and unnecessary.

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, made the clarification on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he called on ASUU members to return to their classrooms. According to him, the government has fulfilled all financial and policy obligations agreed upon with the union.

Government maintains all ASUU demands met

“We have addressed every single request by ASUU. There is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school,” Alausa said. “We need to keep our children in school. If there is any group of people I have met with the most since assuming this position, it is ASUU.”

The minister dismissed suggestions that the government had been slow in responding to ASUU’s grievances. He outlined several measures already taken to resolve long-standing issues. “The arrears of their earned academic allowance—we’ve paid ₦50 billion. The President swiftly approved that payment months ago,” Alausa said.

He explained that the earned academic arrears had been mainstreamed into the salaries of lecturers to prevent future accumulation. “There will never be arrears again,” he said. “We’ve also addressed issues about the postgraduate supervision allowances, which are to be paid by the institutions, and I’ve been told those payments are ongoing.”

More funding released for ASUU projects

Alausa further stated that the government had released ₦50 billion from the ₦150 billion set aside for needs assessment projects in public universities under the 2026 budget. “The President promised us the payments will come in tranches of ₦50 billion. The first one has been released and is sitting in the needs assessment account,” he said.

He added that the delay in disbursement was not from the government but from ASUU’s internal processes. “For us not to dispose of money, it’s ASUU that is holding those disbursements,” he said.

Alausa also addressed promotion arrears, saying they will be settled under the 2026 appropriation budget. He maintained that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to a fair and collaborative relationship with all labour unions while ensuring stability across the tertiary education system.

Accoridng to Punch, despite the government’s assurances, ASUU on Sunday night announced a total and comprehensive two-week warning strike across public universities. The union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, said the decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on September 28, 2025, without a satisfactory response from the authorities.

The government’s insistence that all ASUU demands have been met sets the stage for another test of dialogue between the union and the education ministry. Whether the lecturers return to classrooms soon may depend on how both sides handle the next round of negotiations.