Nigeria’s major tertiary education unions have issued a unified four-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to address all pending agreements and unresolved issues in the nation’s education sector or face a total shutdown of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education nationwide.
The ultimatum was announced at a joint press conference in Abuja, following a meeting convened by the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, which brought together all tertiary education unions affiliated with the Congress.
The unions in attendance included the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), among others.
Speaking on behalf of the unions, NLC President Joe Ajaero said the collective decision followed years of frustration over the government’s repeated failure to honour agreements. He warned that the NLC and its affiliates will no longer tolerate empty promises or meetings with government officials who lack negotiation mandates.
“The NLC, after extensive deliberations with the unions in tertiary institutions, resolved to ensure lasting solutions to the perennial problems in this sector,” Ajaero said. “We are establishing a framework for engagement towards implementing agreements, sustainable funding of education in line with UNESCO’s 25 to 26 percent budgetary recommendation, and reviewing wage structures and allowances in tertiary institutions.”
Ajaero condemned the government’s habit of reneging on signed agreements, calling it disrespectful and counterproductive. “All over the world, agreements are sacred. You can’t sign an agreement and then go back to renege. Never again,” he declared.
He announced that the NLC would coordinate a national campaign to monitor progress, stressing that the government has four weeks to conclude negotiations with all affected unions. “If, after four weeks, nothing changes, the organs of the NLC will meet and take nationwide action involving all workers and unions across the country. The era of signing agreements and threatening unions for asking for compliance is over,” Ajaero said.
He also challenged the government’s “no work, no pay” policy, insisting it should now be replaced with “no pay, no work.” “You can’t cause a strike by refusing to obey agreements and then punish the other party. The person who caused the problem should bear the consequences,” he said.
ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, reaffirmed his union’s commitment to the new alliance, saying it was long overdue. “The government has continued to employ divisive tactics to weaken the unions. This alliance is our collective response — one voice, one action,” he said, adding that ASUU’s next steps, following the expiration of its warning strike, will align with the four-week ultimatum.
SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, also threw his union’s full weight behind the move, describing the alliance as “a new dawn for unity and progress in Nigeria’s education system.” He accused the government of treating education unions with disregard despite their crucial role in national development.
Other union leaders — including those from NASU, NAAT, ASUP, SSANIP, and COEASU — jointly condemned the government’s divide-and-rule tactics and pledged unwavering support for the NLC-led campaign.
The coalition warned that if the Federal Government fails to address all outstanding issues within the four-week window, a coordinated nationwide strike involving all tertiary education institutions will be inevitable