Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa (right), and Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, during a news conference on the ongoing negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Abuja. PHOTO: NAN
• NLC gives govt two-week ultimatum to implement ASUU agreements
• CONUA members shun strike, hold lectures
• Ex-VC Olayinka faults FG’s repeated negotiation committees with ASUU
• Alausa: Strike unjustified, N50b allowances paid, all issues resolved
Academic activities were halted across several Nigerian universities yesterday as the two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) took effect.
Among the affected institutions are the Federal University, Dutse (Jigawa State); the University of Jos (Plateau State); the University of Benin (Edo State); the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE). Others include the University of Abuja (UNIAbuja), University of Maiduguri, and Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
At Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, examinations had already been concluded, although some final-year students were reportedly awaiting their project defence.
Students at the University of Ibadan (UI), University of Lagos (UNILAG), and Bayero University, Kano (BUK) were seen packing up to leave campus, expressing fears that the strike could extend beyond the initial two-week period.
ASUU members embarked on the strike to protest the non-conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement and the non-payment of their withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries.
The union is also demanding payment of outstanding 35 per cent salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and release of withheld cooperative contribution deductions, among other issues.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday directed Vice-Chancellors of federal institutions to enforce the ‘no work, no pay’ policy for lecturers participating in the industrial action.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and distributed to key education stakeholders, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Pro-Chancellors of federal universities, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
In the document, the government expressed disappointment over ASUU’s decision to embark on strike despite ongoing engagement efforts, warning that it would no longer tolerate disruptions to the academic calendar.
“In line with existing labour regulations, any employee who fails to discharge official duties during a strike period will not be entitled to remuneration for that period,” the circular stated.
Alausa instructed Vice-Chancellors to immediately conduct roll calls and physical headcounts of all academic staff, and to submit detailed reports identifying those present and performing their duties as well as those absent due to the strike. Salaries of lecturers who fail to work are to be withheld for the duration of the industrial action.
The Minister clarified that members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), who are not participating in the strike, should continue to receive their full entitlements.
NLC gives FG two weeks to implement ASUU agreements
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to use the two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities as an opportunity to present a concrete plan for the full implementation of all outstanding agreements with the union.
In a statement issued yesterday, NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that the government’s failure to honour the agreements and salvage public education would attract the “resolute and unified force” of the entire Nigerian workforce.
Ajaero urged the government to suspend its threat of enforcing the “No Work, No Pay” policy and instead address the core issues contained in its negotiated agreements with ASUU, stressing that the NLC “will not stand idly by.” He said the congress would convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to develop a comprehensive strategy for engaging the government should the strike persist.
The labour leader stated that the ASUU strike was a direct result of the Federal Government’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements, describing it as a necessary reaction to the neglect of a fundamental pillar of society.
According to him, the government’s continued failure to implement agreements freely reached with lecturers and university workers has weakened public tertiary institutions.
Ajaero also faulted the government’s “No Work, No Pay” stance, describing it as misleading. “The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars. The lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with the dignity and conditions their profession deserves. The core principle remains: ‘No Pay, No Work,’” he said. He added that the ongoing struggle extends beyond an isolated industrial dispute, warning that the crisis reflects a deeper societal inequality.
“While the children of the elite attend private institutions or study abroad, the children of the working class and the poor are left in a public education system being systematically weakened. This creates an educational divide that limits social mobility and perpetuates inequality. An educated populace is essential for a progressive nation, and the current approach appears designed to reserve quality education as a commodity for the privileged few,” Ajaero said.
CONUA members shun ASUU strike, hold lectures at University of Abuja
Members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) have distanced themselves from the ongoing two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, saying they conducted lectures for students on the first day of the industrial action.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, at the University of Abuja, the union reaffirmed its no-strike policy and its preference for dialogue in resolving grievances within the academic sector.
When The Guardian visited the campus, academic activities were observed to be on a low scale, a situation attributed to the fact that the institution resumed its first semester of the 2025/26 academic session only two weeks ago.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of CONUA, UniAbuja Chapter, Prof Abdul Buba, stated that constructive dialogue and engagement with authorities remain the most effective way to resolve disputes, rather than resorting to industrial action.
Buba, who said he had just finished a lecture at the Department of Physics, noted that his students were enthusiastic and eager to learn. “I’ve already commenced teaching since the resumption of this school two weeks back. So, as I’m talking to you, I’m even coming from the class. Some of my members, my colleagues, some were in the labs, some were in the classroom today. Today, I taught postgraduate class and 400-level class,” he said.
He criticised ASUU members for what he described as impatience and insensitivity to the nation’s economic situation, accusing them of refusing to give the Bola Tinubu administration enough time to deliver on its promises to the education sector.
The CONUA chairman argued that incessant strikes had caused significant damage to Nigeria’s university system, disrupting academic calendars, demoralising students, and reducing the global competitiveness of local institutions.
He urged academic unions to prioritise collaboration and constructive negotiation over confrontation, stressing that cooperation between the government and unions was key to achieving lasting educational reform.
“It’s just a matter of time. Nigerians, parents, students as well as government will come with the realities on ground. You can’t be doing one thing all the time and expect a different result. The best way to go about these issues is dialogue,” he said.
Prof Buba reaffirmed CONUA’s commitment to promoting academic excellence, stability, and professional integrity, promising that the union would continue working towards sustainable solutions that protect staff welfare and ensure uninterrupted learning for students.
Also speaking, Prof Issa Abdulraheem of the Department of Information, Journalism, and Media Studies, who serves as Public Secretary of CONUA, stated that he informed his students that his News Writing and Reporting class would proceed as scheduled.
Another lecturer, Dr Kamarudeen Babarunde of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, disclosed that he had concluded a lecture with 300-level students earlier in the day.
Some students interviewed said they were returning from their Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) and had yet to commence lectures, while others expressed uncertainty about whether their classes would hold.
Alausa: Strike unjustified, N50b allowances paid, all issues resolved
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend its ongoing strike and return to the negotiation table, insisting that the Federal Government has addressed all of the union’s demands.
Alausa made the appeal yesterday while appearing on Channels Television to discuss the two-week warning strike declared by ASUU, which began on October 13.
The minister said there was no justification for the strike, noting that the government had negotiated with the union in good faith and fulfilled its obligations.
“I do not see any reason why ASUU has gone on strike. We had feelers that despite us negotiating with them in good faith, truthfully, they were determined to go on the strike. Even from Friday, I’ve been getting text messages that ASUU has decided to go on strike. And when you do that, when you pre-determine your action, despite every goodwill or gesture of the government to you, what do you really want? For the arrears of their earned academic allowance, we have paid N50 billion,” Alausa said.
He explained that the government had mainstreamed ASUU’s earned academic allowances into salaries to prevent future arrears. “We’ve also addressed issues about their postgraduate supervision allowances, which are to be paid by the institutions. I’ve been told that these are being paid,” he added.
Alausa also assured that issues related to third-party deductions and union remittances had been resolved, noting that such payments were now handled directly at the university level.
On the NEEDS Assessment Fund, the minister said out of the N150 billion appropriated in the 2025 budget, N50 billion had already been released, while the remaining N100 billion would be paid in two tranches.
Regarding promotion arrears, Alausa stated that payment would be made under the 2026 appropriation budget, while the 35 per cent wage award for university workers would also be settled next year. He revealed that a government committee had submitted a counterproposal to ASUU on October 10 concerning conditions of service and welfare, but the union failed to respond before declaring the strike. “We gave them everything they requested, their welfare and the condition of service. They promised to get back to us in 24 hours. We waited until Saturday afternoon. They didn’t get back to us,” he said.
The minister added that Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso, Vice Chairman of the Negotiating Committee, had made several attempts to reach the union, but only received a call on Sunday evening from the ASUU president, confirming the decision to embark on strike.
Alausa attributed the government’s inability to meet the union during its three-week ultimatum to the absence of the committee chairman, Dr Yayale Ahmed, who had travelled for Hajj.
On the union’s demand for payment of three months’ salary arrears from the 2022 eight-month strike, the minister maintained that the arrears would not be paid. He recalled that President Bola Tinubu, then an aspirant, had asked the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to mediate, leading to an agreement that only 50 per cent of the arrears would be settled — a commitment the current administration had fulfilled.
Alausa assured parents and students that the Federal Government was making every effort to ensure ASUU calls off its strike and restores academic activities across universities.
Olayinka faults FG’s repeated negotiation committees with ASUU
A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Idowu Olayinka, has criticised the Federal Government’s repeated use of negotiation committees to resolve disputes with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing the approach as ineffective and unsustainable.
In a reflection titled “A Tale of Several Federal Government–ASUU Negotiation Committees” dated October 13, 2025, Olayinka expressed concern over the renewed two-week warning strike by ASUU, which began earlier in the week, despite government assurances that strikes in the tertiary education sector had been permanently resolved.
He recalled that during his April 2024 convocation lecture at Ekiti State University, he presented data showing that between 1988 and 2022, Nigerian universities lost a cumulative six years and three months of academic time to strikes. He lamented that the situation had not improved.
“One had thought the system would say no to any more strikes. The Federal Government had been trumpeting as one of its achievements that it had put paid to strike actions by ASUU. Events of the past few weeks have put paid to any claim of such relief,” Olayinka wrote. He attributed the recurring crises to a “consistent imbalance in power relations” between the Federal Government and ASUU, noting that the negotiation process had become cyclical and one-sided.
According to him, successive administrations have repeatedly established negotiation panels led by trusted appointees, only to disregard their recommendations or fail to implement agreed-upon terms, before inaugurating new committees to revisit the same issues.
“The government appoints its trusted hands to lead negotiations. The committee completes its assignment and submits a report, but the same government either refuses or fails to implement it. Then, another committee is inaugurated to renegotiate what was already agreed upon. The vicious cycle continues ad infinitum,” he said.
Olayinka listed some of the distinguished personalities who had chaired such committees, including Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN), Professor Munzali Jibrin, Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs (1944–2023), and Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, noting that none had succeeded in resolving the long-standing problems of poor remuneration, underfunding, and deteriorating university conditions. He warned that the continued neglect of staff welfare and the government’s failure to honour agreements were forcing many of Nigeria’s best academics to seek opportunities abroad.
“The slave wages paid to academics are unlikely to attract new hands or retain existing ones. Many of our highly trained scholars are emigrating to seek better futures for themselves and their families. Our system is the worse for it, after all said and done,” he lamented.
Olayinka expressed hope that the current impasse would be resolved amicably and urged both parties to demonstrate genuine commitment to collective bargaining and the faithful implementation of agreements.
The Guardian
