Dr. Tunji Alausa, Nigeria’s Education Minister, has reversed his previous statement about the Federal Government’s engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), acknowledging on Friday that a formal agreement was indeed signed in 2009.
This clarification comes after initial claims denied the existence of such a pact.
During a press interaction in Abuja last Thursday, Dr. Alausa initially asserted that no official arrangement existed between the Federal Government and ASUU, insisting the union was promoting only a draft proposal. This assertion was promptly challenged by ASUU representatives who maintained the validity of the 2009 signed contract. However, a subsequent release issued by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, rectified the position, affirming that the 2009 document remains the last legally binding accord.
The ministry further outlined attempts to revisit and revise this long-standing agreement. Notable among these efforts was the establishment of a renegotiation panel in 2017 under former minister Mallam Adamu Adamu. This negotiation process yielded a draft version known as the Nimi Briggs proposal in May 2021, which has yet to be ratified.
The statement clarified that when the minister referred to ‘no new signed agreement,’ he specifically meant the 2021 draft had not been officially endorsed. Nonetheless, this draft continues to serve as the foundation for present talks aimed at resolving the protracted impasse.
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