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Against belief in some quarters, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, on Thursday said that there is no binding agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He made the clarification while answering questions from journalists on the ongoing ASUU protest across the country.
According to him, the government had never signed any binding agreement with ASUU, stressing that the ducument in circulation is just a a draft.
Expressing government’s commitment to resolving issues raised by the union, he said that President Bola Tinubu has mandated the Ministry to find a lasting solution that would keep Nigerian children in school.
The Minister also explained that the administration is not interested in bogus or unsustainable agreements, but determined to reach an accord that would be implementable and constitutionally backed.
Dr Alausa expressed confidence that ASUU’s recent protests would not degenerate into strike action, as government had engaged the union “continuously and meticulously.”
The Minister said “We are committed to solving this problem once and for all. What has lingered since the 2009 and 2021 agreements will now be addressed in a sustainable way.
“The President has made it clear that every promise made to ASUU and Nigerians will be fulfilled truthfully and honestly,” he stated
The Ministry, he said, held a high level meeting with stakeholders on Thursday 28th August, 2025 to find lasting solution to the lingering problems.
The meeting, according to him, was attended by the Minister of State for Education, Minister of Labour and Productivity, and Solicitor-General of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Education, Labour and Justice; and heads of key agencies, including the National Universities Commission (NUC), Salaries and Wages Commission, and the Budget Office.
The Minister stressed that the meeting reviewed ASUU’s proposals line by line which would be fine-tuned by the committee’s technical team.
The team, he said, would submit a “clean report” that would be forwarded to the Yayale Ahmed-led Committee to renegotiate the 2009 ASUU/FG Agreement.
“We want an agreement where every component is actionable and feasible.
“Nigerians can be assured that this government will keep our schools open and ensure our children remain in classrooms,” he said.
The Minister also assured that unlike in the past, the Ministry of Justice would be fully involved in the process to ensure agreements comply with constitutional provisions.