Strike Threat: ASUU Urged to Show Restraint as Education Minister’s Record Cited
- ASUU has been cautioned against embarking on another strike amid the government’s commitment to salary payments
- An education stakeholder highlighted Education Minister Tunji Alausa's transparency in formalising agreements with ASUU
- ASUU had threatened to embark on strike, giving the federal government a four-day ultimatum to pay lecturers under the new salary structure
Abua, FCT - The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been urged to exercise restraint and reconsider any move toward industrial action, saying current conditions do not warrant a strike.
An education stakeholder who chose to remain anonymous made the plea after the lecturers' union set a four-day ultimatum for the federal government to pay lecturers under the new salary structure.
Source: Twitter
“ASUU must show restraint, education minister Tunji Alausa has earned it through proven delivery,” the stakeholder told Legit.ng, cautioning that the union “would do well to pause before reaching, once again, for the blunt instrument of a strike threat.”
ASUU: Transparency and agreement highlighted
The stakeholder pointed to what he described as an unprecedented step by the minister of education, Dr Tunji Alausa, noting that “since 2009, not a single federal administration has deemed it necessary to formalise an agreement with ASUU, until now.”
He added that the minister “did not merely sign that agreement quietly behind closed doors; he made it public, deliberately and transparently, so that the government's commitments would be a matter of record, beyond denial or revision.”
“That is not the conduct of a man acting in bad faith; that is the conduct of a minister who understands the weight of institutional trust and has chosen to honour it,” the stakeholder said.
ASUU: Budget constraints and interim measures
Addressing concerns over salary increases, the stakeholder said delays in paying lecturers under the new salary structure were tied to legislative processes rather than a breach of promise.
“Until the national budget is passed and executed, the funding required for the increase simply cannot be disbursed. That is a constitutional and legislative reality, not a broken promise,” he said.
The education expert noted that the minister had instead “galvanised Vice Chancellors across the country to advance payments to lecturers from institutional resources, with a clear commitment to reimbursement once the budget is executed.”
Alausa's response to payment delays in UNILAG
Citing a recent incident, the stakeholder said the minister intervened directly when complaints arose over delayed payments at the University of Lagos.
“When complaints emerged a couple of weeks ago regarding payment delays at the University of Lagos, the Minister personally placed a call to the Vice Chancellor and directed that payments be made. They were,” he said.
“That is responsive, hands-on governance, precisely the kind of action ASUU has long demanded from those in authority.”
ASUU: Tinubu's directive to avoid disruption
The stakeholder also referenced a directive from President Bola Tinubu, saying “there must be no disruption to Nigeria's academic calendar.”
He added that the minister had maintained “constant, open engagement with ASUU,” describing the approach as “not weakness but genuine political will.”
“For ASUU to respond to that goodwill with strike threats is to undermine the very culture of dialogue they claim to champion,” the stakeholder said.
ASUU: Appeal for constructive engagement
While acknowledging past grievances, the stakeholder said “years of broken promises from successive administrations have made scepticism a reasonable instinct,” but argued that “this moment is different.”
“The appropriate response to a budget delay is not to punish students who will bear the heaviest cost of any strike action,” he said, urging the union to “direct pressure where it truly belongs.”
“ASUU can, and should, take the federal government at its word this time,” the stakeholder added, noting that “the agreement is signed and public.”
“What Nigeria's universities need now is not the chaos of another strike; what they need is patience, pressure applied in the right direction, and the recognition that a government willing to show its hand deserves the chance to play it,” he concluded.
Source: Getty Images
Federal govt, ASUU sign new agreement
Legit.ng recalls that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led federal government recently signed a new agreement with ASUU to enhance Nigeria's university education system.
The agreement between the federal government and ASUU aims to improve quality and ensure stability in higher education.
It was gathered that key officials, including the education minister, Tunji Alausa, attended the unveiling ceremony in Abuja.
Source: Legit.ng
