Academic life across Nigeria’s public universities came to a standstill on Monday as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced a two-week warning strike following the breakdown of negotiations with the Federal Government.
The union’s National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, announced the strike in Abuja on Sunday, citing the government’s failure to honour long-standing agreements on welfare, funding, and the 2009 ASUU-FGN pact.
In response, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, ordered the enforcement of the “no work, no pay” policy and directed the National Universities Commission (NUC) to submit attendance lists of lecturers across all public universities within seven days. The directive also instructed vice-chancellors to conduct physical headcounts of staff and report those participating in the strike.
“The National Universities Commission will monitor compliance and submit a consolidated report to the ministry within seven days,” Alausa said in a circular issued Monday. He warned that any lecturer absent from duty would forfeit their salary for the period of industrial action. Members of two splinter academic groups—the Congress of University Academics and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics—were exempted.
But ASUU’s leadership dismissed the threat. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Prof. Piwuna said, “We do not respond to threats. Nobody can intimidate us. ASUU is ready and available to discuss this matter once and for all.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threw its weight behind ASUU, condemning the government’s approach. Its president, Joe Ajaero, described the “no work, no pay” order as “an act of intimidation” and warned that the NLC would mobilise nationwide solidarity if the government failed to address ASUU’s grievances before the warning strike expires.
“The struggle of ASUU is the struggle of the Nigerian working class,” Ajaero said. “The fight for public education is a fight for Nigeria’s future. The government must act within this two-week window or face the unified force of the workforce.”
Across the country, campuses resembled ghost towns. At Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, classrooms were deserted and students loitered in groups. The local ASUU chairman, Haruna Jibril, confirmed total compliance. “This is not about personal gain; it’s about the future of our universities and students,” he said.
At Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof. Nurudeen Muhammad said members joined the strike “since midnight in full compliance.” Similar scenes played out at universities in Ondo, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Ogun, and Plateau states, with lecture halls locked and students stranded.
At the University of Uyo, lecturers and students gathered in clusters to discuss the impasse. “No lectures have held today,” a student lamented. “Those of us in our final year are the ones who will suffer the most.”
In Ibadan, the union’s branch chairman, Adefemi Afolabi, said there was “total compliance” as academic activities were suspended indefinitely. From Makurdi to Jos, Akungba to Abeokuta, the picture was the same: empty halls, halted exams, and growing frustration among students.
At the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Dr. Terseer Abari said the strike had disrupted examinations but insisted the action was necessary. “We have complied fully with the national directive,” he said. “Our students understand this is a fight for the system’s survival.”
In Jos, Prof. Jurbe Molwus confirmed 100 per cent compliance, undeterred by the government’s threat. “We’ve been through this before,” he said. “We won’t back down until our demands are met.”
Despite assurances from the education ministry that the Tinubu administration has released ₦50bn for Earned Academic Allowances and earmarked another ₦150bn in the 2025 budget for university needs, ASUU says previous promises have gone unfulfilled.
With classes suspended nationwide and tension rising, both sides appear dug in. The government is betting on deterrence; the lecturers on endurance. For students caught in the middle, the resumption of lectures—and the certainty of their academic future—hangs in the balance.
