Determined to end the recurring cycle of university closures, the Federal Government has vowed that public universities will no longer be shut down over labour disputes. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said on Tuesday that President Bola Tinubu has given an unambiguous directive to keep students in school and ensure lasting industrial harmony with university unions.
Speaking to State House correspondents after briefing the President, Alausa said the government is “doing everything humanly possible” to prevent further strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary education unions.
“The President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike. We are doing everything possible to ensure our students stay in school,” the minister said.
“The last strike of about six days was not necessary. We have met almost all their demands, and we are back at the negotiation table.”
According to him, the government has already secured fresh concessions to fast-track a peaceful resolution with the union, emphasizing that dialogue—not disruption—will now define labour relations in the education sector.
A Data-Driven Reform Agenda
Alausa said the administration is pursuing “evidence-based governance” across tertiary institutions, insisting that public universities must now operate with greater transparency and accountability.
“Tertiary institutions receive almost 100% of their funding from the Federal Government,” he noted. “If you don’t have data, you are flying blind. You need data to know where the problems are, how to intervene, and how to monitor outcomes.”
To strengthen oversight, the government on Tuesday unveiled the Federal Tertiary Institution Governance and Transparency Dashboard, a new digital platform designed to track and publish key operational data from federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
The dashboard will display information such as:
- Student enrollment figures
- Personnel and capital allocations
- TETFund and NELFund interventions
- Endowments, grants, and internally generated revenue
Alausa said the portal will be publicly accessible, allowing citizens to monitor how resources are utilized and how institutions perform. Over time, the platform will also integrate state-owned and private institutions, with the NUC, NBTE, and NCCE tasked with enforcing compliance.
Consolidating Labour Negotiations
The Education Minister attributed past instability to fragmented negotiation frameworks that treated universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education separately. To correct this, the government has consolidated the process under a single negotiation body—the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Negotiation Committee—which now interfaces with ASUU, the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU).
“The same committee is talking to ASUU, ASUP, and COEASU. Everything is calm,” Alausa said. “I spoke to the ASUP president yesterday; there is no ultimatum from any union. This is a listening government, and we will resolve significant parts of their concerns.”
In a further show of commitment to institutional reform, the Ministry invited Dr. Adebowale Adeokun, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), to brief vice-chancellors and rectors on proper procurement practices—a move aimed at tightening financial discipline across campuses.
Economic Context and Broader Governance Drive
Dr. Alausa framed the education sector reforms within the context of President Tinubu’s wider economic agenda, citing progress made through petrol subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms, new tax legislation, and major infrastructure projects.
He noted that the nation’s GDP grew by 4.23% in the last quarter, describing it as proof that Nigeria is “back to proper governance.”
Despite these assurances, skepticism lingers among lecturers and students who have endured years of disrupted academic calendars and unfulfilled promises. Yet, the government insists that it has learned from past mistakes and is building systems that will ensure uninterrupted teaching and learning.
A Clear Message from the Presidency
For the Tinubu administration, the stance is unmistakable: public universities must remain open, and ASUU strikes must not return. The combination of data transparency, unified negotiations, and proactive engagement, officials believe, will finally deliver stability to Nigeria’s troubled tertiary education system.
“This is a listening government,” Alausa reaffirmed. “We are committed to accountability, dialogue, and ensuring that our students never lose another academic session to strikes.”