The federal government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shelve its planned strike which is expected to start next week.
The government said there was no need for the union to embark on strike as it was committed to addressing all outstanding demands raised by the union.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday while briefing journalists on the progress of ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and university-based unions.
ASUU has threatened to go on strike at the end of its 14-day ultimatum which it issued on September 28.
The ultimatum will end on Oct 12.
Alausa highlighted several steps already taken by the government to demonstrate commitment, including the release of N50 billion for earned academic allowances and the provision of N150 billion in the 2025 budget for the revitalisation of tertiary institutions.
Alausa said that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He explained that President Bola Tinubu had given clear directives that all efforts must be made to avoid another disruption in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The minister stated that, unlike in the past where separate committees handled negotiations for universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, the government had now adopted a unified approach to ensure efficiency and coherence in the process.
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