The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified remarks made by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a statement issued by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Dr. Alausa explained that his comments on August 28, 2025, were misinterpreted in some quarters. He reaffirmed that the last formally signed agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU remains the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The Ministry noted that in 2017, the then Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, inaugurated a renegotiation committee that later produced the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021. However, the draft was never signed by the Federal Government.
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“When the Honourable Minister stated yesterday that there had been ‘no new signed agreement’ with ASUU, he was referring specifically to the 2021 draft Nimi Briggs document, which has not been formally executed,” the statement clarified.
The Ministry emphasized that while the 2009 agreement remains binding, the 2021 draft serves only as a framework for ongoing discussions. It assured that the Federal Government remains committed to resolving the longstanding dispute with ASUU in a “sustainable and constitutionally backed manner,” under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Ministry urged stakeholders and the general public to disregard any misinterpretations of the Minister’s earlier comments, stressing that government’s priority is to keep universities open for teaching and research while ensuring lasting industrial harmony in the education sector.
