UI ASUU Chairman Insists No Going Back on Two-Week Warning Strike, Faults FG’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ Threat

The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan (UI) chapter, Dr. Adefemi Afolabi, has declared that there will be no retreat from the ongoing two-week nationwide warning strike, insisting that the union remains united and resolute in its demands.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday, Afolabi confirmed full compliance with the strike directive across member institutions, stressing that ASUU members are frustrated by the Federal Government’s slow response to their long-standing grievances.

“We have been duly and constantly carried along in meetings at the national level, and members have criticised the slow speed at which the government has been treating the matter,” he said.

Afolabi revealed that the Federal Government had received a report from a committee established in September 2024 to review the recommendations of an earlier committee set up in 2016. The report, according to him, was submitted in February 2025, but no meaningful action has been taken since then.

“This means that for eight months, nothing has happened,” he lamented. “We have made several efforts to reach out to individuals we believe the government will listen to, apart from our direct efforts to ensure timely implementation.”

He added that during the union’s last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on September 28, ASUU resolved to give the government a two-week ultimatum to sign the draft agreement reached by the committee — a deadline that led to the commencement of the current warning strike.

“All these were clearly communicated to the government, hence the warning strike,” Afolabi said.

On the Federal Government’s directive enforcing the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy, Afolabi dismissed it as an old tactic that would not deter the union.

“We are not surprised by the warning. The government has the power to sign the agreement and the resources to pay salaries, which is the core issue here,” he explained. “It is unfortunate that the government waits for a strike before issuing such threats.”

He reiterated that ASUU does not take joy in disrupting academic activities, noting that lecturers are equally concerned about students’ welfare.

“We as ASUU will never want our students out of the classrooms. Our joy is to see them complete their education and graduate on time. The government must do the needful to end this cycle of strikes,” he added.

Meanwhile, some students of the University of Ibadan have expressed mixed reactions to the ongoing strike.

Ayobami Lawal, a 300-level student, blamed the government for the recurring disruptions in the academic calendar.

“The incessant strikes are unfair to both students and lecturers. When lecturers are well treated, they perform optimally and produce quality graduates who contribute positively to society,” Lawal said.

Similarly, Yetunde Adebayo, a 200-level student, described the strikes as detrimental to students’ learning progress.

“It takes a long time for some of us to even gain admission, and now we spend more time at home because of strikes. The government should prioritise lecturers the way it prioritises politicians,” she said.

The Federal Government, however, has directed vice-chancellors of all federal universities to strictly enforce the ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule against lecturers participating in the strike.

The directive, contained in a circular dated October 13 and signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, was copied to several key government offices, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Accountant-General, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

According to the circular, the ministry expressed dissatisfaction with ASUU’s decision to continue the strike despite ongoing negotiations and multiple appeals for dialogue.

“The government will no longer tolerate non-compliance with extant labour laws,” the circular stated.

ASUU, however, insists that its action was provoked by years of neglect, accusing the government of showing little or no commitment to resolving the deep-rooted crises in Nigeria’s university system.

“Both the federal and state governments have a strong habit of paying little or no attention to the education sector and the welfare of university academics,” the union said in a statement after its NEC meeting.