As the nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, began yesterday, the federal government has reaffirmed its resolve to implement the “no work, no pay” policy.
This was as it directed vice-chancellors of all federal universities to ensure full compliance with labour law.
The directive was contained in a circular dated October 13, 2025, signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and distributed to key education stakeholders, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, pro-chancellors of federal universities, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC.
According to the circular, the government expressed disappointment over the union’s decision to embark on strike, despite ongoing engagement efforts.
The government warned that it would no longer condone disruptions to the academic calendar.
“In line with existing labour regulations, any employee who fails to discharge official duties during a strike period will not be entitled to remuneration for that period,” the circular stated.
Dr. Alausa directed vice-chancellors to immediately conduct roll calls and physical headcounts of academic staff in their institutions.
They are to compile detailed reports identifying those present and performing their duties and those absent due to the strike. Salaries of staff who fail to work are to be withheld for the duration of the industrial action.
The minister, however, clarified that members of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics, NAMDA, who were not participating in the strike should continue to receive their full entitlements.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that ASUU had on Sunday, declared a two-week warning strike beginning Monday, October 13, to press home its demands, including the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement; release of withheld salaries; revitalisation funding for public universities; payment of promotion arrears; and settlement of outstanding salary differentials.
The federal government has, however, maintained that most of ASUU’s demands had been addressed, insisting that the strike was unjustified.
Meanwhile,the medium observed that academic activities were grounded in many public universities
Some of these are: University of Lagos(UNILAG), University of Ibadan(UI), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Kwara State University(KWASU), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), among others.
The university of Ilorin,and Kwara State University, both in Kwara State, equally joined the nationwide strike ordered by the national body of ASUU. The federal and state universities took the decisions after the marathon congresses on Monday.
Chairman of ASUU of the University of Ilorin, Dr Alex Akanmu confirmed this in an interview with Vanguard.
“We are committed to the ideals of the strike, so we have joined the nationwide strike,”Akanmu said.
Similarly, Chairman of ASUU Kwara state University, Dr. Abdulganiyu Salau, confirmed the development in an interview.
UI suspends academic activities
The University of Ibadan chapter of ASUU joined the nationwide warning strike yesterday, bringing all academic and related activities on campus to a halt.
There was total compliance with the strike directive as lecture halls and offices remained locked, while the once-busy campus witnessed a drastic reduction in both human and vehicular movement.
Confirming the development in a telephone interviewwith Vanguard, the chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr. Adefemi Afolabi, said, “There is full compliance with the directive from our national body,” Afolabi stated. “The warning strike commenced at midnight on Sunday and will continue until we receive further instruction from the union.”
Compliance is imminent – OAU ASUU chair
Members of ASUU, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU branch, also joined the two-week warning strike ordered by the national body of the union.
The branch chairman, Professor Anthony Odiwe, said the branch just domesticated the strike around noon yesterday.
“Well, our members would have to comply with the directive because it is a collective decision and an issue we all are battling with, so there is no option than to comply with it, no one is doing another person favour, we are all suffering the same humiliation from government,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the National Secretary, Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Professor Henry Oripeloye, said the union members went about their daily activities, saying they had not started going to classes because students of the school had not fully resumed for lectures.
You can’t intimidate ASUU with ‘no work, no pay’, NLC tells FG
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has condemned the Federal Government’s threat to invoke the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking university lecturers, saying such intimidation would not resolve the crisis in the nation’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 continued refusal to implement voluntarily signed agreements is undermining public tertiary institutions and eroding confidence in the system.
“The commencement of the two-week warning strike by ASUU is a direct consequence of the federal government’s failure to honour these collectively bargained agreements. The strike is not an act of defiance but a legitimate response to years of neglect and unfulfilled promises.
“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 NLC said.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
