The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that it will soon decide on its next move as the one-month ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over the looming strike in public tertiary institutions expires today.
Acting Secretary-General Benson Upah told our correspondent in Abuja that NLC organs will meet to determine the next steps. “In keeping with our pledge to protect the interests of unions in tertiary institutions, the appropriate organs of the Congress will meet and decide on the next line of action. You will be duly informed,” he said.
NLC had earlier set a four-week deadline for the Federal Government to resolve the lingering crisis in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. NLC President Joe Ajaero warned, “The era of signing agreements, negotiations, and threatening unions has come to an end.”
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) urged the government to take urgent and lasting steps to prevent a strike. Assistant Secretary-General Adejuwon Olatunji-Emmanuel emphasized the importance of safeguarding the uninterrupted academic calendar enjoyed since the start of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, calling it vital for students’ futures and national development.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had suspended a two-week warning strike on October 22, giving the government one month to meet its demands, including the review of the 2009 ASUU–FG agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and allowances, and release of the university revitalisation fund. The union warned it would resume industrial action without further notice if concrete steps were not taken.
Education Minister Tunji Alausa, however, insisted that the government had met the union’s demands, stressing that negotiations were ongoing to keep students in school.
— Punch
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