The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has strongly criticized the Federal Government’s threat to enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking university lecturers, insisting that such measures would only deepen the ongoing crisis in the country’s public tertiary institutions rather than resolve it.
Responding to the two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), NLC President Comrade Joe Ajaero described the lecturers’ action as a legitimate reaction to the government’s continuous breach of agreements it had voluntarily entered into with the union.
In a statement, the NLC said, “The NLC is deeply concerned by the persistent crisis in Nigeria’s public education system, marked by chronic underfunding and the government’s failure to honour agreements reached with university lecturers and workers. This continued refusal to implement voluntarily signed agreements is undermining public tertiary institutions and eroding confidence in the system.”
According to the statement, ASUU’s two-week warning strike is not an act of rebellion but a justified response to years of neglect and unfulfilled promises by the Federal Government.
“Rather than engaging in good faith to resolve the crisis, the government has resorted to the unproductive threat of ‘No Work, No Pay.’ This narrative is misleading,” the statement continued.
It stressed that “the breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars,” adding that lecturers have always been ready to work, but the government’s persistent failure to meet its obligations has deprived them of the dignity and proper working conditions their profession deserves. “The principle remains clear: No Pay, No Work,” the statement emphasized.
The NLC noted that the issue goes beyond a typical labour dispute, describing it as a reflection of a deeper social injustice, one that deliberately weakens public education while the children of the elite attend well-funded private schools both locally and abroad.
“The children of workers and the poor are left with an underfunded, demoralized system, perpetuating inequality and limiting social mobility. Quality education must not be a privilege for a few but a right for all,” the statement declared.
Expressing its full support for ASUU and other unions in the tertiary education sector, the NLC called on the Federal Government to drop its threats and immediately address the fundamental issues outlined in its agreements with ASUU.
The labour body warned that if the government fails to act after the two-week warning strike, it would convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to decide on stronger measures.
“The struggle of ASUU is the struggle of the Nigerian working class. The fight for public education is a fight for Nigeria’s future. The NLC will no longer allow these unions to stand alone,” the statement asserted.
It concluded by urging the Federal Government to use the two-week period to produce a clear plan for the complete implementation of all agreements, stating, “The choice is clear: honour the agreements and salvage public education, or face the resolute and unified force of the entire Nigerian workforce.”
What you should know
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), led by Comrade Joe Ajaero, has expressed full solidarity with ASUU’s two-week warning strike, rejecting the Federal Government’s “No Work, No Pay” stance.
The NLC insists the government must honour previous agreements to save Nigeria’s public education from further collapse.
