The Federal Government has announced that it will sign and fully implement the long-standing 2009 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on January 14, 2026, in a move aimed at permanently ending industrial disputes that have repeatedly disrupted Nigeria’s public universities.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking on Channels Television’s 2025 in Retrospect, saying the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is determined to restore stability to the academic calendar and end recurrent strikes.

“By January 2026, the 2009 agreement will be signed and fully implemented. This administration does not make empty promises. When commitments are made, they are fulfilled,” Alausa said, noting that concrete steps have already been taken to address key demands of the union.

He explained that the decision is part of broader efforts to ensure students are no longer forced to spend up to six years on programmes meant to last four years due to repeated university shutdowns.

“If you add up the days and months lost to strikes over the years, some students have lost almost four academic years. That is unacceptable. A four-year course must remain four years. We will not accommodate disruptions that keep our children out of school,” the minister stated.

Alausa said the relative industrial peace currently enjoyed in public universities is the result of sustained engagement with ASUU and improved funding.

“This is not coincidence. It is the outcome of deliberate actions by this President. Today, ASUU members are in classrooms, and students are learning. That did not happen by chance,” he said.

On lecturers’ welfare, the minister revealed that academic staff have already benefited from significant salary adjustments, describing them as confidence-building measures.

“Members of ASUU have received about a 40 per cent increase in their salaries compared to what they earned previously. This government understands that you cannot get quality education if you do not take care of the people delivering it,” he said.

He also noted that education has received unprecedented budgetary attention under the current administration.

“In the past two years, we have had the highest budget for education in the history of this country. The platform is there, and the funds are being used directly for interventions that matter,” Alausa said.

According to him, funding is being channelled into classrooms, laboratories, engineering workshops, lecture theatres and faculty offices across federal universities, rather than administrative structures.

“We are not building new offices. We are building learning spaces. If you go to our universities today, you will see massive upgrades going on,” he added.

The minister linked the resolution of ASUU-related issues to wider reforms in the education sector, including investments in basic education, teacher training and digital learning.

“We are building new classrooms and new schools across 18 states. We are upgrading laboratories in thousands of schools, and we are retaining and retraining our teachers through digital platforms,” he said.

He disclosed that the government is piloting zero-data education platforms in several states to address internet and electricity challenges, allowing teachers and students to access learning materials at no cost.

“Teachers can log in, access digital content and even deliver online classes without paying for data. This is happening now, not in the future,” Alausa said.

He added that smart boards are being deployed in primary, junior and senior secondary schools, alongside the use of technology and artificial intelligence to improve learning outcomes.

Looking ahead, Alausa said the signing of the 2009 agreement would provide a sustainable framework for labour relations in the university system, ensuring disputes are resolved without shutting down campuses.

“With the signing of this agreement and the reforms we have put in place, ASUU strikes should become a thing of the past. Our students deserve uninterrupted education, and that is what we are committed to delivering,” he said.