By Anita John 
ABUJA | Oct 13 – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has weighed in on the latest face-off between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has led to a boycott of academic activities at all federal universities across Nigeria.
ASUU had issued several warnings that if its demands were not met, it would have no option but to embark on industrial action. When those warnings did not yield positive results, the academic staff embarked on a strike on Monday, October 13, 2025.
A few hours later, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, threatened that failure by university teachers to call off the strike would push the government to implement the No Work, No Pay policy.
Shortly after, the government directed vice-chancellors across institutions to take note of lecturers who failed to turn up in class and send a full report to Abuja, a move that would lead to the deduction of salaries of absentee lecturers. ASUU thereafter responded with No Pay, No Work.
In support of ASUU, the NLC, in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, declared support for university teachers, stating that ASUU cannot be threatened by the government if the agreements both parties signed are fulfilled by the government.
The NLC expressed sadness that, over the years, the government has failed to properly fund the university system, leading to the decay of physical infrastructure and a lack of research funding.
NLC described the government’s threat to deduct lecturers’ salaries for embarking on strike as an “unproductive threat of ‘No Work, No Pay,’” calling it a misrepresentation of the situation.
Ajaero said, “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.’
“This struggle extends beyond an isolated industrial dispute. It reflects a broader societal issue. 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.”
The NLC called on the government to, among other things, set aside its threats and address the core issues in the negotiated agreements with ASUU.
It warned that failure by the government to fulfil its side of the agreement by the end of the 14-day warning strike would force the NLC to join in solidarity.
“We serve notice that if, after this two-week warning strike, the government remains unresponsive, the NLC will not stand idly by,” it said, adding that the NLC would convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to develop a comprehensive strategy for engaging the government.
“The struggle of ASUU is our struggle,” the labour union said. “We will no longer allow these unions to stand alone. We demand that the Federal Government use this two-week window to present a concrete plan for the full implementation of all agreements.”
It called on the government to rise and salvage Nigeria’s public education system.
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Editorial Staff