The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to resolve the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and conclude negotiations with all unions in the tertiary education sector.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made the declaration during an interactive session with labour correspondents in Abuja, condemning the federal government’s “no-work-no-pay” policy, which he described as punitive and unfair to striking university lecturers.
“We are giving the federal government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. Talks have started with ASUU, but the issues go beyond them,” Ajaero said. “If no resolution is reached within four weeks, the NEC will convene, and all unions in the country will mobilise to address this comprehensively. The era of threatening unions is over.”
He also emphasized a reverse principle of “No Pay, No Work,” insisting that workers should not suffer for the government’s failure to fulfill agreements. “Most strike actions in this country stem from the government’s failure to honour agreements,” he added.
The warning comes amid ASUU’s ongoing nationwide strike, announced by its National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, over unresolved issues such as staff welfare, infrastructure deficits, unpaid salary arrears, and the full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Although the federal government recently released ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and earmarked ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for needs assessment in universities, ASUU described the gestures as inadequate. The union is demanding full implementation of the 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries and cooperative deductions, as well as sustainable funding for tertiary institutions.
Reaffirming its solidarity with ASUU and other education unions, the NLC urged the government to act decisively to end the crisis, safeguard workers’ rights, and restore stability and quality in Nigeria’s public universities.