The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has issued a clarification regarding his recent statement on agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to a statement by the Ministry's Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, Alausa's statement that there had been "no new signed agreement" with ASUU referred specifically to the 2021 Nimi Briggs document that was not signed by the Federal Government.
The ministry explained that the last formally signed agreement between the FGN and ASUU was in 2009.
The statement noted that a renegotiation committee was inaugurated in 2017 to review the agreement, resulting in the 2021 draft document, adding however, that the document was not signed and therefore does not constitute a binding agreement.
"For the avoidance of doubt, the FGN-ASUU Agreement was last signed in 2009. That agreement remains the most recent signed and binding agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU.
"Subsequently, in 2017, the then Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, inaugurated a renegotiation committee to review the 2009 agreement. The outcome of that process was the draft Nimi Briggs Agreement produced in May 2021.
"However, it is important to stress that this 2021 draft agreement was not signed by the Federal Government," the statement said.
Alausa reiterated the government's commitment to resolving the long-standing issues with ASUU in a sustainable and constitutionally backed manner.
The statement urged the public and stakeholders to disregard any misinterpretations and note the government's firm commitment to resolving issues with ASUU under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
"The Ministry therefore reaffirms that, The 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement, The 2021 Nimi Briggs draft agreement was not signed but serves as the latest framework for discussions.
"The Federal Government remains committed to ending the 16-year stalemate with ASUU in a sustainable and constitutionally backed manner, ensuring our universities remain open for teaching and research.
"The Ministry of Education urges the public and all stakeholders to disregard any misinterpretations and to note that the Federal Government's commitment to resolving issues with ASUU remains firm under the Renewed Hope Agenda," said the statement.