FG Failure To Meet ASUU Demand: Union Recommends Education Minister’s Sack

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called for the sack of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, stating that he is unfit to oversee the ministry.

In a statement, ASUU University of Jos branch chairman, Prof. Jurbe Joseph Molwus, on Wednesday, accused the minister of making empty promises and failing to address the union’s demands, despite repeated assurances.

ASUU had given the Federal Government a four-week ultimatum to address its demands, including payment of 3.5 months of withheld salaries, 25/35 per cent wage award arrears, promotion arrears, and unpaid salaries of some members, among others. The ultimatum is set to lapse on November 21, 2025.

However, the union said the minister’s claims of settling university workers’ arrears are misleading, and that no significant progress has been made.

“The Honourable Minister of Education is a misfit, and perhaps, he lacks the capacity to oversee that ministry, talk less of satisfactorily addressing the demands of ASUU and other unions,” Molwus said.

ASUU questioned the minister’s claim that the Federal Government has released N2.3bn to clear salary and promotion arrears in all federal universities, saying the amount is grossly inadequate and that university workers have yet to receive any such alerts.

The union also expressed frustration that the N50bn revitalisation fund released by the Federal Government some weeks ago has yet to reach the universities and accused the minister of keeping it.

“As ASUU mobilises for its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting scheduled to hold on the 8th and 9th November, 2025, we expect that some of the outstanding entitlements, such as 3.5 months of withheld salaries, 25/35% wage award arrears, promotion arrears, unpaid salaries of some members, etc, would have been paid to university workers by now. But all we get are press releases by the Honourable Minister of Education. What we need is credit alerts and not misleading releases.

“It is sad to note that even the 50 billion Naira revitalisation fund the FGN claimed to have released some weeks ago has yet to reach the universities. We do not know why the Minister of Education is still keeping it,” he said.

ASUU has threatened to resume its suspended strike if its demands are not met, adding that its members are losing patience as they wait to receive alerts of their legitimate entitlements and get a signed agreement with the Federal Government.

The union also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to change the Minister of Education and bring in someone who truly understands the issues bedevilling tertiary education in Nigeria.

“Compatriots of the press, we dare to say that if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in keeping with his campaign promises, really desires to make history by addressing the age-long dispute with the university unions, he needs to change the Minister of Education and bring in someone who truly understands the issues bedevilling tertiary education in Nigeria. Except if the Honourable Minister of Education has been hired to do the bidding of Mr President and is indeed doing so,” Molwus said.

FG Failure To Meet ASUU Demand: Union Recommends Education Minister’s Sack is first published on The Whistler Newspaper