By: IndyPress News Desk 

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have officially signed the renegotiated 2009 Agreement, ending years of prolonged negotiations between both parties.

The signing ceremony, held at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Headquarters in Abuja, marked a major turning point following a renegotiation process that lasted about 14 months.

The 2009 agreement, which was due for renegotiation in 2012, had remained a major point of contention between the Federal Government and ASUU for over 16 years before a consensus was reached in December 2025.

Speaking at the ceremony, ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, recalled that the prolonged delay in renegotiating the agreement contributed significantly to industrial disputes in the university system.

He explained that the current agreement was the outcome of a renegotiation process initiated in 2017 to revitalise Nigeria’s university education system.

According to Piwuna, several renegotiation committees were constituted between 2017 and 2022 under successive administrations, including those chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, but none resulted in a collective bargaining agreement.

He noted that the present administration inaugurated a new renegotiation committee chaired by Yayale Ahmed in October 2024, which culminated in the agreement approximately 14 months later.

Piwuna said the agreement focuses on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and broader systemic reforms aimed at reversing infrastructural decay, curbing brain drain, and repositioning universities for national development.

“We are optimistic that the government will implement this agreement in totality. However, pessimism still exists because of our history. It is our belief that Dr. Tunji Alausa will be different, and that our union will not need to issue strike threats before implementation begins,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the signing as a symbol of renewed trust and a decisive turning point in government–union relations.

“This occasion represents far more than the presentation of a document; it symbolises renewed trust and a decisive turning point,” Alausa said.

He reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to maintaining an uninterrupted academic calendar and promoting industrial harmony in the education sector.

“We are moving from a history of strikes to a future of industrial harmony,” he added.