Govt set to unveil renegotiated pact with ASUU after 16-year stalemate

The federal government is set to unveil a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) towards ending recurring strikes in Nigeria’s public tertiary schools.

Boriowo Folasade, press director at the ministry of education, stated on Sunday that the official unveiling ceremony for the signed agreement will hold on January 14.

The ceremony, scheduled for 11:00 am at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) headquarters in Abuja, will be presided over by Tunji Alausa, minister of education, and Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, minister of state for education.

Boriowo said the deal is expected to foster industrial harmony, improve teaching and learning conditions, and ensure sustainable development within Nigerian universities.

“The agreement underscores the federal government’s unwavering commitment to constructive engagement with critical stakeholders and the resolution of industrial issues through sustained dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation,” the statement reads.

“It is expected to further enhance industrial peace across Nigerian universities, create a more conducive academic environment, and reinforce confidence among students, staff, and the wider public.”

​The event is expected to host senior government officials, ASUU leadership, heads of tertiary institutions, and development partners.

For years, Nigeria’s public university system has seen disruptive strikes by ASUU over issues ranging from funding and infrastructure to the welfare of academic staff and the preferred payment platform for lecturers.

An agreement was signed between ASUU and the government in 2009 following negotiations aimed at reversing the decay in the Nigeria’s public university system.

Full implementation was, however, stalled by the government’s cited financial constraints and disagreements over university autonomy.

Over time, the agreement required renegotiation after its original 2009 provisions became obsolete due to inflation and the emergence of new disputes, among other reasons.

The novel agreement, to be unveiled on January 14, is the outcome of intensive renegotiation between a federal government committee and ASUU concluded in 2025.

It effectively ends a 16-year implementation stalemate surrounding the contentious 2009 FG-ASUU pact on the service conditions of public tertiary school lecturers.