The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has faulted the Federal Government over what it called the persistent neglect of the country’s public education system, warning that continued failure to honour agreements with university lecturers could trigger a wider national response.
In a statement signed by its president, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the congress said the ongoing two-week warning strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) was a direct outcome of the government’s refusal to implement collectively bargained agreements.
“The commencement of a two-week warning strike by ASUU is a necessary response to the neglect of a fundamental pillar of our society,” Ajaero said. “The government’s continued refusal to implement agreements voluntarily reached with lecturers and workers is undermining public tertiary institutions.”
He described the government’s “No Work, No Pay” stance as counterproductive, insisting that the breach of contract was caused by the state, not the lecturers.
“This misrepresents the situation. The lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with dignity,” he said. “The core principle remains: ‘No Pay, No Work.’”
Ajaero said the crisis in the education sector went beyond an industrial dispute, noting that it reflected deeper societal inequality.
“While the children of the elite attend private institutions or study abroad, the children of the working class and the poor are left in a public education system being systematically weakened,” he said. “An educated populace is essential for a progressive nation, yet the current approach appears designed to make quality education a privilege for a few.”
The NLC expressed full solidarity with ASUU and other unions in the tertiary education sector and urged the government to resolve the underlying issues instead of issuing threats.
“We call on the Federal Government to immediately set aside its threats and address the core issues in the negotiated agreements with ASUU,” Ajaero said. “If, after this two-week warning strike, the government remains unresponsive, the NLC will not stand idly by.”
He said the congress would convene an emergency meeting with its affiliates in the tertiary education sector to develop a coordinated strategy.
“The struggle of ASUU is our struggle. The fight for public education is a fight for Nigeria’s future,” Ajaero added. “We demand that the Federal Government use this two-week window to present a concrete plan for the full implementation of all agreements.”