The Federal Government on Monday insisted that it had met all the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), urging the union to call off its ongoing strike and return to the classrooms.

“We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike. We are appealing to them to return to work. We need to keep our children in school,” said the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

He noted that contrary to ASUU’s claims, the government had been responsive and proactive in addressing all issues raised by the union.

“The arrears of their earned academic allowances — we have paid ₦50 billion. The President swiftly approved that payment months ago. The arrears arose because ASUU initially declined the mainstreaming of the allowances into their salaries, which would have prevented such backlogs. They later reconsidered, and we agreed.

“These allowances have now been mainstreamed into their salaries, meaning there will be no future arrears,” Alausa explained.

He added that issues regarding postgraduate supervision allowances — which are paid directly by universities — were already being addressed, while funds for the long-standing Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities had also been released.

“That needs assessment agreement was negotiated nearly 20 years ago, and this administration has taken responsibility for the liabilities,” the minister said.

Alausa further stated that President Bola Tinubu remained committed to engaging labour unions in good faith and ensuring fair treatment for all.

According to him, the President had approved ₦150 billion for the needs assessment in the 2026 budget, with ₦50 billion already released.
“The President promised to release the funds in three tranches of ₦50 billion each, and the first tranche has been disbursed into the needs assessment account. ASUU is involved in managing those disbursements,” he said.

He also noted that issues relating to promotion arrears had been resolved and would be captured in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, adding that the cause of such arrears had now been eliminated.

ASUU, however, had on Sunday announced a two-week total and comprehensive warning strike across all public universities in Nigeria.

The union’s National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, made the announcement at a press conference held at the University of Abuja, saying there had been “no meaningful progress” in negotiations with the government.

He explained that the 14-day notice issued on 28 September 2025 had elapsed without any substantive response from the authorities.

“All ASUU branches across the country have been directed to commence a full withdrawal of services from midnight on Monday, 13 October 2025,” Piwuna said.

The Federal Government had, as of last Wednesday, appealed to the union to reconsider the industrial action, assuring that it remained committed to resolving all outstanding issues.