The Federal Government plans to expand its agreement-monitoring committee to cover academic and non-academic staff unions across tertiary institutions to prevent labour disputes from disrupting academic activities.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the plan in Abuja on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, during the presentation of the 2026 agreements with unions representing universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The existing Implementation and Monitoring Committee, established to oversee the 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), will be expanded to include other relevant unions and stakeholders. The government also plans to make it permanent.
Alausa said the committee would track compliance, identify implementation delays and resolve disputes before they trigger strikes. He reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s pledge that four-year degree programmes should be completed within the prescribed period.
He urged union leaders to pursue grievances through dialogue and the monitoring framework. The agreements also provide for reviews every three years.
The 2026 agreements include consolidated academic tools allowances for eligible academic staff represented by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, as well as consolidated non-teaching tools allowances for eligible non-academic personnel. The specified effective date is January 1, 2026, subject to the agreed terms and guidelines.
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ASUP National President Shammah Kpanja said negotiations began in December 2025 and concluded with the signing of an agreement in April 2026.
He said members received outstanding arrears between July and September but urged the government to implement the remaining provisions before the end of 2026.
COEASU President Lawal Bazza put implementation in the colleges of education subsector at more than 70 per cent.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Federal Government Negotiation Team, Yayale Ahmed, said discrepancies identified in some provisions would be addressed with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
The latest move follows the establishment of a committee in June 2026 to monitor the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement. In September, ASUU warned that unresolved salary, welfare and implementation issues could trigger another nationwide strike.
The expanded framework faces the task of ensuring that negotiated commitments are honored and outstanding disputes resolved before they disrupt academic activities.