Samuel Omang
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the federal government to conclude negotiations with all academic and non-academic unions in Nigerian tertiary institutions, following the ongoing strike that has disrupted the academic calendar nationwide.
The ultimatum was announced after a high-level meeting at the NLC national headquarters in Abuja, which brought together leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and other union representatives.
The NLC stated that the four-week window is aimed at addressing longstanding issues affecting university staff, including unresolved salary arrears, inadequate infrastructure, and partial implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement. NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that if the government fails to resolve these matters within the stipulated period, the NLC would coordinate a nationwide industrial action involving all unions to ensure compliance.
“The era of signing agreements without proper implementation is over,” Ajaero declared, criticizing the government’s no-work-no-pay policy imposed on striking members of ASUU. “You cannot benefit from an action you instigated. Most strike actions in this country result from government failure to honor agreements.”
ASUU National President Prof. Chris Piwuna expressed full support for the NLC’s stance and reiterated the union’s refusal to negotiate with government representatives who lack a clear mandate. “We will no longer accept situations where government negotiators present offers that contradict previously agreed terms,” he said.
The strike, now in its eighth day, was initially triggered by the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government on September 28. ASUU cited the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement, withheld salaries, inadequate funding, and infrastructure deficits as primary reasons for the industrial action.
The federal government, through Education Minister Tunji Alausa, recently released N50 billion for earned academic allowances and allocated N150 billion in the 2025 budget for needs assessment in tertiary institutions. However, these measures were rejected by ASUU as insufficient to meet the union’s demands.
The NLC emphasized solidarity with ASUU and other tertiary education unions and urged all union leaders to actively participate in ensuring that the federal government honors its commitments to the education sector.
As the four-week deadline looms, the nation watches closely, with students and parents expressing concern over the ongoing disruption of academic activities in universities across Nigeria.