Federal Government Orders VCs to Enforce ‘No Work, No Pay’ on Striking Lecturers

The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors of all federal universities in Nigeria to immediately enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy on lecturers who participate in the ongoing two-week warning strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

In a letter sent to all vice-chancellors, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, instructed that academic staff attendance be closely monitored through physical headcounts and roll calls. The directive mandates universities to submit detailed reports identifying lecturers who are performing their duties and those absent from work due to the strike. Alausa emphasized that salaries must not be paid to staff members who fail to carry out their responsibilities during the industrial action, citing the decision as being in line with existing labour laws.

The Minister also clarified that the order does not apply to members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), as those groups are not part of the strike.

The implementation of the policy follows the government’s earlier warning to enforce the rule if ASUU proceeded with its strike. According to Alausa, the union has not demonstrated a genuine commitment to dialogue despite multiple opportunities for negotiation.

Reacting to the development, ASUU President Chris Piwuna said the government has failed to address key issues that led to the strike, adding that the latest proposals presented at an emergency meeting on October 10 were inconsistent with previous agreements reached through the government’s own committee led by Yawale Ahmed.

ASUU insists that its strike action is a response to the government’s failure to fulfill longstanding commitments, including the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, release of withheld salaries, payment of promotion arrears, settlement of 25 to 35 percent salary increases, and sustainable funding for public universities. The union also demands the release of withheld cooperative contributions deducted from members’ salaries.