The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has warned the Federal Government against attempts to intimidate the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over its ongoing two-week warning strike.
Speaking on Monday in Abuja, Ajaero said the government’s failure to honour agreements voluntarily reached with the union was to blame for the latest disruption in public universities.
“The commencement of this two-week warning strike is a direct consequence of the Federal Government’s refusal to honour collectively bargained agreements,” Ajaero stated. “Lecturers are ready to work, but by reneging on its commitments, the government has made it impossible for them to do so with dignity.”
He described the government’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy as misplaced and counterproductive, arguing that the breach of contract originated from the state, not the lecturers.
“You cannot intimidate ASUU. The principle remains: No Pay, No Work,” he said.
Ajaero added that the persistent crisis in Nigeria’s education sector exposed deep-rooted inequalities.
“While the children of the elite attend private schools or study abroad, the children of workers and the poor are trapped in a collapsing public education system. This widening educational divide limits social mobility and entrenches inequality,” he warned.
The NLC president reaffirmed the Congress’s solidarity with ASUU and other tertiary education unions, stressing that they would not be left to struggle alone.
“We call on the Federal Government to immediately address all issues raised in the negotiated agreements,” Ajaero said. “If, after this two-week warning strike, the government remains unresponsive, the NLC will convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates to decide on the next line of action.”
He urged the government to use the strike period to rescue public education and avert a nationwide labour confrontation.
“The choice is clear — honour the agreements and save public education, or face the united resolve of Nigerian workers,” he warned.
