Alausa: FG Will Honour Agreements With Tertiary Institutions’ Staff Unions
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
The Federal Government has moved to strengthen industrial harmony in tertiary institutions by expanding its implementation and monitoring committee to cover academic and non-academic staff unions across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced this on Tuesday at the unveiling of the 2026 Federal Government agreements with staff unions of tertiary institutions, assuring workers that the government would honour its commitments.
Alausa said the expanded Implementation and Monitoring Committee (IMC) would monitor compliance with the agreements, assess progress, address implementation challenges and ensure accountability through periodic reports.
He explained that the existing committee established for the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) agreement would be expanded to accommodate representatives of all relevant unions and stakeholders.
According to him, the initiative would provide a common platform for the government and unions to track agreed milestones, resolve emerging concerns and prevent unresolved disputes from disrupting academic activities.
The minister said the agreements covered the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), as well as the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTTA) for non-teaching staff unions across tertiary institutions.
He stated that the allowances took effect from January 1, 2026, in accordance with the agreements and applicable implementation guidelines.
Alausa said the allowances were intended to support the professional and operational needs of eligible personnel, stressing that staff welfare, motivation and access to appropriate working resources were essential to improving educational standards.
He also called for fair treatment, transparent promotion processes, occupational safety and career advancement opportunities, urging government agencies, governing councils and institutional managements to comply with the implementation guidelines.
The minister recalled that delayed and unfulfilled agreements had weakened trust between the government and staff unions over the years, leading to recurrent industrial actions that disrupted academic calendars, affected research and imposed additional financial burdens on families.
He said the agreements reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment under the Renewed Hope Agenda to ensuring that students complete four-year programmes within four years, adding that the government must now demonstrate its commitment through faithful implementation.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, commended both parties for reaching agreements through collective bargaining, dialogue and mutual understanding.
Ahmed urged the unions to exercise patience during implementation, noting that government administrative processes could take time. He also called for the harmonisation of identified discrepancies in the agreements to ensure that no union felt disadvantaged.
In his remarks, the President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, commended Alausa for his role in addressing longstanding workers’ concerns, saying the payment of outstanding salary arrears and implementation of the allowances had boosted staff morale.
However, Ibrahim urged the Federal Government to fulfil all provisions of the agreements, stressing that the payment of allowances should not overshadow other outstanding commitments.
He expressed optimism that the expanded joint monitoring committee would accelerate the resolution of pending issues, strengthen relations between the government and unions, and promote uninterrupted academic activities across tertiary institutions.
The minister subsequently presented the signed agreements to representatives of the unions, including ASUP, COEASU, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Nigerian Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), among others.
