The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors of public universities to enforce the No Work, No Pay policy on striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), while exempting lecturers under the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) who did not join the strike.
Education Minister, Dr. Tunji Alausa, in a circular, expressed the government’s disappointment that ASUU embarked on a 14-day warning strike despite repeated appeals for dialogue, ordering university heads to conduct physical headcounts and submit compliance reports to the National Universities Commission within seven days.
Alausa maintained that the government had fulfilled most of ASUU’s demands, including payment of earned allowances, postgraduate supervision grants, and phased release of ₦150 billion for the Needs Assessment Scheme.
He reiterated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to sustainable education funding and urged lecturers to resume work.
However, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, dismissed the threat of withheld salaries, accusing the government of insincerity and insisting that the union would not suspend the strike despite a 25 percent salary increase offer.