By peterside Rejoice Eneky
The Federal Ministry of Education has clarified the statement made by the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, concerning the status of agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
In a press release issued yesterday, the Ministry explained that the last signed and binding agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU remains the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
According to the statement, a renegotiation process was initiated in 2017 under former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, which produced the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement in May 2021. However, the Ministry stressed that the 2021 draft agreement was never signed by the Federal Government.
The Minister, during his media interaction on August 28, was said to have referred specifically to the unsigned 2021 Nimi Briggs draft when he stated that “no new signed agreement” existed with ASUU.
Reaffirming government’s position, the Ministry noted that while the 2009 agreement remains the last formally signed document, the Nimi Briggs draft serves as the latest framework for ongoing discussions.
It further assured that the Federal Government is committed to resolving the 16-year impasse with ASUU in a sustainable and constitutionally backed manner, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
The Ministry urged the public and stakeholders to disregard any misinterpretations of the Minister’s statement, adding that government’s priority is to ensure that universities remain open for teaching and research.
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