The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to conclude ongoing negotiations with unions in the nation’s tertiary education sector.
NLC President, Joe Ajaero, made this announcement during an interactive session with labour correspondents in Abuja on Monday.
The engagement followed a meeting between the NLC leadership and representatives of unions in tertiary institutions held at the Congress headquarters.
According to Ajaero, while discussions between the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have commenced, the challenges facing the education sector go beyond ASUU alone.
“We have decided to give the federal government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. If after four weeks this negotiation is not concluded, the organs of the NEC will meet and take a nationwide action that will involve all workers and unions in the country,” Ajaero stated.
He warned that the days of government failing to honour agreements with unions were over, adding that the NLC would no longer tolerate policies that unfairly target workers.
“The era of signing agreements, negotiations, and then threatening unions has come to an end. The so-called policy of ‘no work, no pay’ will henceforth be ‘no pay, no work’. You can’t benefit from an action you instigated. We have discovered that 90 percent of strikes in this country are caused by the government’s failure to keep its word,” he said.
Nigeria’s tertiary education system has been rocked by persistent instability, the latest being the ongoing nationwide strike by ASUU.
The strike was declared by ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, on Sunday after a 14-day ultimatum to the government expired.
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ASUU cited unresolved issues including unpaid salary arrears, inadequate infrastructure, staff welfare concerns, and the non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement as reasons for the industrial action.
Although Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, recently claimed progress in talks and announced the release of ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for university needs, ASUU dismissed the measures as insufficient.
The union is demanding full implementation of the 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries and arrears, sustainable funding for universities, and protection of its members from victimisation.
Reaffirming solidarity with ASUU and other education-based unions, the NLC vowed to mobilise its members nationwide should the government fail to meet the set deadline.
The Congress said its next line of action will be determined after reviewing the government’s response at the end of the four-week window, as it seeks lasting solutions to the crisis threatening Nigeria’s higher education system.