Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has made a U-turn on his earlier statement regarding the long-standing dispute between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Just a day after dismissing ASUU’s claims by insisting that no agreement was ever signed, the minister has now admitted that a formal agreement was indeed reached in 2009.

In a statement released on Friday, Alausa clarified that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last valid and binding document to date.

He explained that when he previously said there was “no new signed agreement,” he was specifically referring to the 2021 Nimi Briggs draft, which was never formally executed.

“The Ministry reaffirms that the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement remains the last formally signed agreement. The 2021 draft serves only as the latest framework for discussions,” the statement read.

The ministry also noted that efforts to review the 2009 agreement started in 2017, when a renegotiation committee was set up under former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. That process led to the Nimi Briggs draft in 2021, but it was never officially signed.

Reassuring Nigerians, Alausa said the government is still committed to resolving the 16-year-old impasse with ASUU using sustainable and lawful measures, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He urged the public to ignore any misinterpretations of his earlier comments, stressing that keeping universities open and functional remains a top priority for the current administration.