ASUU strike ultimatum gains NLC support as unions unite. Government given four weeks to resolve university crisis or face nationwide labour action

ASUU strike ultimatum has gained strong backing from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), as both bodies present a united front in demanding an end to the persistent instability in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

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In a decisive move, the NLC on Monday issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve negotiations with academic and non-academic unions nationwide.

The ultimatum follows a crucial meeting between the NLC and leaders of major education unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and others.

The meeting, held at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, aimed to forge a lasting solution to the unending cycle of strikes in Nigerian universities and other higher institutions.

The ASUU strike, now in its eighth day, was declared after a 14-day warning expired on 28 September.

According to ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, the walkout was triggered by the Federal Government’s failure to implement critical aspects of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, including unpaid salaries, delayed promotion arrears, and the release of withheld union deductions.

While the government claims to have released ₦50 billion in earned allowances and allocated ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for university needs, ASUU has rejected these offers as inadequate and insincere.

Speaking to journalists after the Abuja meeting, NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that failure to resolve the crisis within four weeks would trigger national industrial action.

“If after four weeks this negotiation is not concluded, the organs of the NEC will meet and take a nationwide action involving all workers,” Ajaero declared. He also criticised the no-work-no-pay policy, stating that “henceforth, it will be no pay, no work.”

He accused the government of consistently provoking industrial actions by refusing to honour agreements.

ASUU’s President also announced that the union would no longer entertain negotiations with government representatives lacking clear mandates.

“We will fully back the Nigerian Labour Congress,” Piwuna said. “That era where officials make promises only to return with alien offers is over.”

The union’s demands remain unchanged: full implementation of existing agreements, settlement of withheld salaries and deductions, funding for infrastructure, and an end to tokenistic gestures.

Nigeria’s higher education sector has long suffered from chronic disruptions, with academic calendars routinely stretched by prolonged strikes.

The current standoff once again places thousands of students in limbo, while undercutting public confidence in tertiary education.

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The NLC’s backing of ASUU marks a critical turning point—transforming what began as an isolated academic strike into a broader labour movement with potentially far-reaching consequences.