The Federal Government has instructed Vice Chancellors across the country to strictly enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) currently on strike.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

According to Nivo News, the directive came as ASUU commenced a 14-day warning strike despite government pleas and assurances that most of their outstanding demands had been addressed. However, members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) were exempted from the order, as they did not join the industrial action.

Reports from several campuses, including the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, University of Maiduguri, University of Ilorin, and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, revealed that academic activities were completely halted. Examinations were also disrupted in some institutions such as the University of Benin, University of Jos, and Federal University Dutse.

Dissociating their members from the strike, CONUA and NAMDA maintained that academic activities continued smoothly within their circles.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, expressed disappointment over ASUU’s decision to embark on the strike despite repeated calls for dialogue. In a circular addressed to Vice Chancellors, he ordered them to conduct a physical headcount of lecturers reporting for duty and to submit a comprehensive report to the National Universities Commission (NUC) within seven days.

The circular reiterated the government’s stance, stressing that any academic staff member who fails to perform official duties during the strike should not receive salary for that period. It, however, clarified that members of CONUA and NAMDA would not be affected by the salary stoppage.

Dr. Alausa emphasized that the directive was in line with existing labour laws, and urged university administrators to handle the matter with urgency and national responsibility.

Speaking on national television, the minister maintained that the government had met all of ASUU’s major demands, including payment of arrears for earned academic allowances, mainstreaming of those allowances into salaries, and the release of ₦50 billion for university needs under the 2026 budget. He added that an additional ₦100 billion would be released in phases.

Alausa insisted that the strike was unnecessary, stating that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had demonstrated good faith and commitment to revitalizing the education sector.

However, ASUU National President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, dismissed the government’s claims, saying the union was not intimidated by the “No Work, No Pay” policy. He argued that the government had not been sincere in its dealings with the union and that past promises had not been fulfilled.

Piwuna revealed that the government’s offer of a 25 percent salary increase would not end the strike, stressing that ASUU had exhausted all avenues of dialogue before resorting to industrial action.

According to him, the union remains determined to continue the strike until the Federal Government demonstrates genuine commitment to resolving long-standing issues affecting Nigerian universities.