A Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, has stated that industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities has significantly reduced under the Renewed Hope administration.

He claimed that the union has embarked on strike only once since 2023.

Olusegun attributed the development to deliberate government interventions in the education sector.

He made the claim in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday.

He noted that the lone industrial action was a warning strike that lasted nine days.

According to him, this marked a departure from years of frequent strikes under previous administrations.

“The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has only gone on strike once since the inception of the Renewed Hope administration about three years ago; a warning strike that lasted for nine days.

“This feat, which marks a different trajectory from the previous annual strikes, did not happen by chance; it was made possible by deliberate efforts of the government over the past three years,” he said.

Checks by The PUNCH, however, show that while no full-scale, prolonged strikes have occurred under Tinubu since his inauguration in May 2023, ASUU has issued several ultimatums and embarked on brief warning actions over disputes relating to funding and allowances.

The presidential aide further said the Federal Government had recorded a major breakthrough in resolving longstanding issues with the union following the renegotiation of the 2009 agreements.

“With a major breakthrough for the longstanding issue now announced by the FG following the renegotiation of the 2009 agreements, we might have placed a final nail on the coffin of ASUU strikes,” he said.

Olusegun added that interventions in the tertiary education sector were part of broader reforms under the Renewed Hope agenda, alongside the highly successful Nigerian Education Loan Fund programme.

He said further details of the government’s interventions would be outlined to demonstrate how the administration had worked to address the perennial problem of strikes in public universities.

Listing some of the measures, he said:

“Removal from IPPIS — Federal tertiary institutions were exempted from IPPIS, allowing universities to process their own payrolls and enhancing autonomy.”

“Expanded Negotiation Committee — unified all tertiary unions under one committee.”

“Financial Interventions — ₦150 billion allocated in the 2025 budget for university revitalisation, with the allocation planned to be released in three tranches of ₦50 billion each.”

“Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) — ₦50 billion released for earned academic allowances.”

“Landmark Agreement and Salary Review — signed on January 14, 2026.”