The Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its planned nationwide strike, assuring that efforts are underway to address the union’s concerns.

It also disclosed that the reconstituted Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Expanded Negotiation Committee will meet with the aggrieved unions soon to resolve lingering issues.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, stating that President Bola Tinubu has directed that every effort be made to avert the planned industrial action.

“Mr. President has directed that we should do everything humanly possible to avert the strike, and that’s what we’ve been working on behind the scenes,” Alausa said.

“People at the highest levels of government have been working several hours intensely to get a robust but affordable response back to our trade unions.

“These are issues that have existed for 10 to 15 years, but this President has given us the political will to resolve them once and for all,” he added.

Last Monday, ASUU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its seven-point demands or face industrial action. The decision was reached at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on September 28 at the University of Abuja.

The union’s demands include the re-negotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, sustainable funding and revitalization of universities, an end to the victimization of ASUU members at Lagos State University (LASU), Kogi State University (now Prince Abubakar Audu University), and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).

Other demands are the payment of outstanding 25–35 per cent salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and unresolved third-party deductions.

However, Dr. Alausa stated that the government has already addressed most of the issues raised by ASUU.

“Eighty per cent of their demands have been met, and only about 20 per cent remain outstanding,” he said, adding that the government remains committed to maintaining industrial harmony in the nation’s universities.