•Orders stoppage of striking lecturers salaries in new circular
By Uche Onyeali, Abuja
In retaliation to the nationwide strike declared by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Federal Government has directed all vice-chancellors of federal universities to strictly implement the “No Work, No Pay” policy against striking ASUU members.
The federal government had earlier reiterated its stand on “no work, no pay’ policy in accordance with the law, should academic activities be disrupted in the nation’s universities.
The stoppage directive was contained in a circular dated October 13, 2025, and signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
The circular seen by AljazirahNigeria, titled “Enforcement of the Provisions of the Labour Laws in Relation to the Ongoing Strike by ASUU”, was copied to key government institutions, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Pro-Chancellors of all Federal Universities, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation, as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC,
the federal government said despite what it described as “repeated invitations to dialogue and resolve outstanding issues”, the Union directed its members to embark on strike on Sunday following a breakdown in negotiations.
The circular read that “In line with the provisions of the Labour Laws of the Federation, the Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge his or her official duties during the period of strike action”.
Alausa, who ordered all vice-chancellors to conduct immediate roll calls and physical headcounts of all academic staff in their respective universities to determine who is performing their official duties and who is participating in the strike, added that “You are to submit a detailed report indicating the names of staff members who are present and working, and those absent from duty”.
However , AljazirahNigeria gathered thG Congress of University Academics, CONUA, and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics, NAMDA, are not participating in the ASUU strike and have been exempted from the directive and will continue to receive their pay.
In this vein, the Minister urged the National Universities Commission, NUC, to monitor full compliance and submit a consolidated report to the Ministry within seven days.
“Please, treat this matter with utmost urgency and a deep sense of responsibility in national interest”, the circular quoted Alausa as saying.
The federal government had on Sunday in response to the ongoing warning strike in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, reaffirmed that while it continued to demonstrate goodwill and flexibility, it would not abdicate its responsibility to uphold fairness and accountability in the use of public resources.
The statement, however, reassured Nigerian students, parents, and the general public that the federal government remained firmly committed to maintaining industrial harmony within the tertiary education system.
It added that the Minister of Education had appealed to all academic unions to embrace partnership and dialogue, rather than confrontation, in the collective interest of the nation’s higher education sector.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday at the University of Abuja, ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna stated that there had been no meaningful progress to prevent the union from moving forward with its planned industrial action.
He explained that the 14-day notice, issued on September 28, 2025, had lapsed without any substantial response from the relevant authorities.
He stated that all ASUU branches across the country had been directed to commence a full withdrawal of their services beginning at midnight on Monday, October 13, 2025.
According to Professor Piwuna, the strike would be both total and comprehensive, in line with the resolution reached at the union’s most recent National Executive Council, NEC, meeting.
It would be recalled that the federal government on Wednesday last week appealed to the union to shelve the planned strike, assuring that it was committed to addressing all outstanding demands raised by the union.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa said the federal government was already looking into the demands of the Union and progress is already being made in the ongoing negotiations between both parties.
Also Prof Piwuna on Arise TV yesterday alleged that the FG through the Minister of Education has been on phone calls persuading the CONUA , NASSU, ASUP not to be part of the strike promising to pay them the claims made by ASUU.
The Minister explained that the Mahmud Yayale Ahmed Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee had been reconstituted and inaugurated to fast-track talks with both academic and non-academic unions in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He added that President Bola Tinubu had given clear directives that all efforts must be made to avoid another disruption in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
