NLC TO FG: YOU CAN’T INTIMIDATE ASUU
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By MUNIRAT BALOGUN
Abuja, October 13, 2025 — The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has thrown its weight behind the ongoing two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), warning the Federal Government against what it described as attempts to intimidate the union with its “No Work, No Pay” policy.
In a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC expressed deep concern over the persistent crisis in the nation’s public education system, blaming the government’s “chronic underfunding” and failure to honour agreements voluntarily reached with lecturers and university workers for the current impasse.
“The commencement of a two-week warning strike by ASUU is a direct consequence of the Federal Government’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements,” the statement read. “This action is a necessary response to the neglect of a fundamental pillar of our society.”
Ajaero accused the government of bad faith, noting that instead of resolving the crisis, it has resorted to threats that misrepresent the true situation.
“The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars,” he said. “Lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with dignity and proper conditions. The principle remains: No Pay, No Work.”
The NLC President further lamented what he described as a widening educational divide between the privileged and the poor, arguing that while the children of the elite study in private or foreign institutions, those of ordinary Nigerians are trapped in a failing public system.
“This struggle extends beyond an isolated industrial dispute. It is about the future of Nigeria. Public education is being systematically weakened to favour the privileged few,” the statement added.
Declaring full solidarity with ASUU and other unions in the tertiary education sector, the NLC called on the Federal Government to immediately address the core issues in the negotiated agreements with the lecturers.
Ajaero warned that if the government fails to act within the two-week warning strike period, the labour centre would convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the education sector to chart a “comprehensive strategy” for engaging the government.
“The struggle of ASUU is our struggle,” Ajaero declared. “The fight for public education is a fight for Nigeria’s future. We will no longer allow these unions to stand alone.”
The NLC urged the government to use the strike window to present a concrete plan for the full implementation of all agreements, warning that failure to do so could trigger a nationwide labour showdown.
“The choice is clear: honour the agreements and salvage public education, or face the resolute and unified force of the entire Nigerian workforce,” Ajaero concluded.
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