By Desire Emmanuel
The Federal Government on Sunday night urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to shelve its planned strike, threatening to invoke the “No work no pay” rule if they insist on going ahead.
The Federal Government announced this in a statement jointly endorsed by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sai’d Ahmad, disclosing that the Federal Government has made a comprehensive offer to the union and is still awaiting ASUU’s official response.
The statement emphasised that the offer addresses the union’s primary concerns, including working conditions, institutional governance, and staff welfare.
The ministers noted that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a robust Teaching Allowance designed to reflect the value of academic work and motivate lecturers across public universities.
The statement also reminded the union that the principle of “No Work, No Pay” remains an extant provision of Nigerian labour law, and the Federal Government will invoke it should ASUU proceed with the strike.
“While government remains committed to peaceful dialogue, it will equally enforce existing laws to protect the integrity of our education system and ensure accountability,” the statement warned.
“The future of our children and the stability of our universities must take priority over disputes. The Federal Government remains open to discussion and is ready to work with ASUU to consolidate the gains already achieved in staff welfare, infrastructure, and institutional reforms,” the ministers added.
While reaffirming the administration’s respect for university autonomy, the ministers in the statement clarified that certain aspects of ASUU’s demands—particularly those relating to internal governance, appointments, and promotions—are statutory responsibilities of university governing councils. They urged the union to allow these matters to be handled appropriately at the institutional level in line with existing regulations.
