The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve its lingering dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary education unions, warning that failure to do so could trigger a nationwide labour response.
The decision followed an emergency meeting between the NLC leadership and representatives of unions in the tertiary education sector at the Congress headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking during an interactive session with labour correspondents, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, criticized the government’s handling of the crisis and condemned the “no work, no pay” policy imposed on striking lecturers, describing it as a punitive and provocative measure against workers exercising their lawful rights.
“The Federal Government must take immediate and decisive steps to conclude negotiations with all unions in the tertiary sector. We will not sit idly by while the education system collapses and workers’ rights are trampled upon,” Ajaero warned.
He emphasized that the NLC fully stands in solidarity with ASUU and other unions in the education sector, stressing that the crisis has caused prolonged instability in Nigeria’s higher education system and disrupted the academic calendar nationwide.
The current industrial action by ASUU followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government on September 28, after which the union declared a nationwide strike on Sunday, citing unresolved issues related to staff welfare, infrastructure decay, unpaid salary arrears, and the implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, had noted that several rounds of negotiations with government officials failed to produce meaningful results.
Although the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently announced that the government had released ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and allocated ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for university needs assessments, the union dismissed the measures as inadequate and insincere.
ASUU’s demands include the full implementation of the 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries spanning three and a half months, sustainable university funding, protection against victimization, settlement of outstanding promotion arrears, and the release of withheld cooperative and union deductions.
The NLC, in its communiqué, reiterated the principle of “No Pay, No Work” as a counter-response to the government’s policy, insisting that the state must honour its commitments under existing agreements and uphold the dignity of labour.
Ajaero said the Congress would continue to mobilize its affiliates nationwide to defend public education and ensure that the government prioritizes workers’ welfare.
“The NLC will not allow the Federal Government to hide behind empty promises while universities remain closed and lecturers go unpaid,” he declared. “If by the end of four weeks no meaningful progress is made, the labour movement will be compelled to take decisive action in defense of education and justice.”
The emergency meeting also outlined plans to coordinate solidarity actions across key sectors and explore measures to protect the interests of university staff while safeguarding the continuity and quality of public tertiary education in Nigeria.
About the Author
