By Wealth Oghenemaro
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to ending the cycle of industrial actions in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking during a television interview on Tuesday, Dr. Alausa said the President had issued firm directives to prevent any further strike actions by academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
“The President has made it clear—never again should we allow ASUU or any union in our tertiary institutions to embark on strike,” he stated.
He noted that the Federal Government is now adopting a more proactive approach by engaging regularly with critical stakeholders, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
According to him, consistent dialogue and fulfilling government obligations are central to the administration’s new strategy.
“These unions are reasonable people. The real issue has always been trust. In the past, governments entered into agreements they failed to honour,” Alausa said. “This administration is taking a different path—based on engagement, mutual respect, and implementation of commitments.”
He also dismissed recent speculation of an impending strike in the university system, describing such reports as unfounded and misleading.
