The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has opened crucial talks with leaders of major tertiary education unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
The meeting, currently underway at the NLC’s national headquarters in Abuja, aims to chart a unified course toward resolving the escalating strike that has halted learning across Nigeria’s public universities and colleges.
The NLC convened the meeting after sending invitations to all education-sector unions, calling for “collective action and lasting solutions” to long-standing grievances with the Federal Government.
The umbrella labour body noted that persistent instability in Nigeria’s higher education system had reached a breaking point, with the latest strike forcing the shutdown of institutions nationwide.
ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, had announced the commencement of the industrial action on Sunday at a press briefing at the University of Abuja.
The decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government on September 28, with the union citing unresolved issues around welfare, infrastructure, unpaid salaries, and the long-delayed implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.
Despite several negotiation rounds, the government’s interventions failed to avert the strike. Education Minister Tunji Alausa recently claimed discussions had reached “a final phase,” disclosing that N50 billion had been released for earned academic allowances and N150 billion earmarked in the 2025 budget for a needs assessment, to be paid in three instalments.
ASUU, however, dismissed the measures as “insufficient and unsustainable,” demanding full adherence to existing agreements and immediate payment of withheld entitlements.
The union’s demands include the release of three and a half months of withheld salaries, sustainable funding for public universities, protection from victimisation, and the settlement of outstanding promotion arrears.
It also seeks the release of withheld cooperative and union deduction funds, which it argues are vital to restoring staff morale and institutional stability.
Reaffirming its support, the NLC declared “full solidarity with ASUU and all tertiary education unions,” urging the government to respect collective bargaining principles and abandon the punitive “No Pay, No Work” stance. The congress emphasised that public education cannot thrive amid repeated disruptions and called for a genuine commitment to resolving structural issues undermining Nigeria’s university system.
The emergency meeting is expected to produce a coordinated response to the ongoing strike, including strategies to protect workers’ welfare and safeguard the future of tertiary education in Nigeria.
The outcome of these talks could determine whether the country’s public universities reopen soon or face yet another prolonged shutdown.
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