Academic activities have been suspended across Nigerian universities as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) begins a two-week warning strike over unpaid salaries, unresolved allowances, and the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement.
The Federal Government has ordered universities to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy for striking lecturers, directing Vice-Chancellors to identify those still teaching. However, members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) have refused to join the strike, continuing lectures at some campuses.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the government a two-week ultimatum to implement all outstanding agreements with ASUU or face a nationwide labour action. NLC President Joe Ajaero accused the government of neglecting public education and warned that the crisis widens inequality between elites and the poor.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the strike as unjustified, saying the government had released ₦50 billion for earned allowances, integrated payments into salaries, and addressed most of ASUU’s demands.
Former University of Ibadan Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, criticised the government’s repeated use of negotiation committees, saying the cycle of unimplemented agreements continues to cripple the university system and drive academics abroad.
