ASUU Strike Looms Again as NLC’s One-Month Deadline to Government Runs Out!

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says its leadership will convene today to decide on its next steps as the one-month ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to resolve disputes in public tertiary institutions expires. The acting Secretary-General of the NLC, Benson Upah, stated in Abuja that the Congress remains committed to maintaining industrial harmony but will announce any decisions after internal consultations. According to BushRadio, Upah reiterated that the organisation intends to uphold its support for unions in the tertiary education sector and will communicate its resolutions in due course.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The NLC had issued a four-week deadline after meeting with unions representing universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, insisting that the government must address what it described as persistent challenges affecting the sector. The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had warned that the era of unfulfilled agreements and stalled negotiations was over, stressing that all outstanding discussions must be concluded within the stipulated timeframe.

Although the Federal Government has reopened dialogue with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the NLC maintains that the concerns extend to other tertiary institutions as well.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged the government to avert any disruption to the academic calendar. Speaking to reporters, NANS Assistant Secretary-General, Adejuwon Olatunji-Emmanuel, appealed for swift and decisive intervention to prevent another shutdown of learning activities. He noted that students have enjoyed relative stability since President Bola Tinubu assumed office—an experience he said must be preserved.

ASUU had earlier suspended a two-week warning strike on October 22 after granting the government one month to meet its demands, which included a review of the 2009 ASUU–FG agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and allowances, and the release of revitalisation funds for universities. The union had cautioned that it would resume industrial action without notice if these issues remained unresolved.

However, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, recently maintained that the government had fulfilled its obligations, stating that President Tinubu had directed that public universities must not return to strike. He assured that consultations were ongoing and that the administration was committed to keeping academic activities uninterrupted.