ASUU Strike: NLC Hosts Urgent Talks with ASUU, Education Unions

By: Aremu Toyeebaht

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday convened an emergency meeting with leaders of key tertiary education unions as part of intensified efforts to end the ongoing nationwide strike that has paralysed academic activities across Nigerian universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

The high-level meeting, taking place at the NLC headquarters in Abuja, brings together the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP).

According to the NLC, the dialogue seeks to harmonise union demands and develop a unified strategy for engaging the Federal Government to resolve the deepening crisis in the higher education sector.

ASUU National President, Professor Chris Piwuna, had on Sunday announced the union’s nationwide strike at a press briefing in Abuja, citing the government’s failure to address key demands despite a 14-day ultimatum that expired on September 28.

“Unresolved issues relating to staff welfare, infrastructure, withheld salaries and the 2009 agreement remain major concerns,” Piwuna said, accusing the government of “serially failing to honour its own commitments.”

The union is pressing for the full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, payment of three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries, release of cooperative deductions, and sustainable funding for public universities.

Although the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently disclosed that negotiations had reached “an advanced stage” — highlighting the release of ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for needs assessment — ASUU dismissed the measures as “grossly inadequate.”

The NLC, in its invitation to union leaders, reaffirmed its “total solidarity” with academic unions, urging the Federal Government to honour collective agreements and uphold the rights of workers.

“Labour remains committed to ensuring that no worker in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions is left behind or subjected to unfair treatment,” the Congress said.

The ongoing closed-door session is expected to produce a unified resolution outlining next steps for industrial action, and a coordinated roadmap for negotiations aimed at restoring stability to the nation’s education system.