Nigeria’s Education Minister has admitted the 2009 FGN-ASUU pact remains binding, clarifying his earlier denial of any formal agreement.
The Federal Government has confirmed that it signed a binding agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2009, contrary to an earlier claim by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
On Thursday, Alausa had told journalists in Abuja that no agreement existed, describing ASUU’s reference as a mere draft document. The statement drew swift rejection from the union.
However, in a clarification issued Friday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the minister acknowledged that “the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement.”
The ministry explained that efforts to update the pact led to the inauguration of a renegotiation committee in 2017, which produced the draft Nimi Briggs agreement in May 2021. It stressed that the draft was never signed but serves as a framework for ongoing talks.
The statement reaffirmed government’s commitment to resolving the 16-year impasse with ASUU “in a sustainable and constitutionally backed manner.”