The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly condemned the Federal Government’s threat to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking university lecturers, describing the move as an act of intimidation that will only deepen the crisis in Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions.
Reacting to the two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the lecturers’ action was a just and legitimate response to the government’s repeated failure to honour agreements voluntarily signed with the union.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the NLC expressed grave concern over what it described as “chronic underfunding and persistent breach of collective agreements” by the Federal Government — a situation it said has eroded confidence in the nation’s education system.
“The ASUU strike is not an act of defiance but a legitimate response to years of neglect and unfulfilled promises,” Ajaero stated. “Rather than engaging in meaningful dialogue, the government has resorted to unproductive threats of ‘No Work, No Pay.’ This narrative is misleading because the real breach lies with the state, not the scholars.”
The labour leader argued that university lecturers remain willing to work but have been repeatedly frustrated by the government’s failure to create dignified and sustainable working conditions.
“The principle is simple: No Pay, No Work,” he said. “You cannot expect productivity from a system you have consistently refused to support.”
Ajaero emphasized that the crisis transcends an ordinary industrial dispute, calling it a “symptom of deeper social injustice” — where the children of political elites attend private or foreign institutions while the children of ordinary Nigerians are left with a decaying public education system.
“This deliberate weakening of public education perpetuates inequality and denies millions the opportunity for upward mobility. Education must not be a privilege for the few but a right for all,” the NLC said.
Declaring total solidarity with ASUU and other unions in the tertiary education sector, the Congress warned that it would not remain passive if the government fails to act within the two-week window.
“If, after this warning strike, the government remains unresponsive, the NLC will convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates to map out a comprehensive strategy for further engagement,” Ajaero warned.
He urged the Federal Government to immediately withdraw its threats and instead present a clear, time-bound plan for the full implementation of all outstanding agreements with ASUU.
“The choice is clear,” the statement concluded. “Honour the agreements and salvage public education — or face the unified strength of the Nigerian workforce.”
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