Education

Ngige: FG not against new welfare package for lecturers, others

Published

4 years ago

April 12, 2022

ASUU strike: NLC to meet varsity workers leaders

The Federal Government says it is not against negotiating a new welfare package for university workers including lecturers in line with current realities.

It said this as the Nigeria Labour Congress is set to meet with leaders of the university over the face-off between the four university-based unions and the FG concerning the non-payment of minimum wage arrears, the shortfall in salary payment, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and revitalization funds, among others.

Speaking at a meeting with members of the 2009 FG and university-based unions renegotiation committee, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said that the government was not happy with the approach being used by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to pursue its demands.

ASUU embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14 and extended it by another two months at the expiration of the warning strike over the alleged failure of the government to address their demands.

Ngige, at the meeting with the Federal Government Renegotiation Committee in his office, pleaded with the committee to ensure that it concludes its assignment within six weeks as provided in the Memorandum of Action with the unions.

He asked the renegotiation team to keep to the six-week timeline for the conclusion of their assignment.

He said the Federal Government was aware of the level of depreciation to which the Lecturers earning have been subjected due to the rise in the inflationary rate, adding that he had advised the leadership of ASUU to find a better way of pressurizing the Federal Ministry of Education and National Universities Commission to hasten action on the Implementation of agreements reached with the government rather than rushing to strike every time there was a disagreement.

He said, “I am not Minister of Education. I cannot go to the Education minister and dictate to him how to run his place. But I told ASUU that you should be bombarding them at the Federal Ministry of Education for this to be moved forward.

“There are many ways to do so. If you go to the labour act, there is something called picketing. You can picket. The strike is an ultimate thing. Picketing means that you can stay in the corridor, clapping or singing. Workers are permitted to do so.

“But I am tired of every time there is a disagreement, it is a strike. And the bosses in the Federal Ministry of Education don’t feel the strike. It is the children and some of us parents that have our children in public schools.”

The minister also said that he had commissioned studies on productivity vis-a-vis emoluments and that the result was that payments done 10 years ago when the dollar was strong have now lost value with 100 per cent depreciation.

He said, “Why won’t I support if ASUU and their unions now want a renegotiation of their conditions of service, which is the main thing in the proposal by the previous committee?”

Chairman of the 2009 FG and University-based union renegotiation Committee, Prof. Nimi Briggs, said his committee was consulting all the stakeholders with a view to finding an amicable solution to the ASUU dispute.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the NLC has scheduled to meet with the four university-based unions over the ongoing strike in the universities.

NLC said it was worried that public universities in the country have been closed down as a result of the strike embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied Educational Institutions, and the National Association of Academic Technologists.

The four unions affiliated with the NLC shut down universities over unresolved issues including difficulties they face with the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, non-payment of the minimum wage arrears, revatizatipn funds, and nonreview of the 2009 Agreement with the government.

After ASUU commenced strike in February, .SSANU and NASU through its Joint Action Committee, JAC, in March, also embarked on a two-week warning strike following the alleged government failure to address the concerns they raised which includes the nonpayment of minimum wage arrears after many promises made to them by the government.

NAAT also declared its warning strike in early March to press home its demands.

The NLC explained that the scheduled meeting with the four striking unions was to know their level of engagement with the federal government.

Vanguard reported General Secretary of NLC, Emma Ugbaja, as saying on Monday that the meeting slated for 10am on Tuesday at the Labour House was aimed at seeing a way to resolve the face-off between the aggrieved unions and government in the interest of all stakeholders.

Ugbaja said that it was proper to hear from the unions first before taking any position, adding that the interest of labour was to ensure that the matter was sorted out.

Up Next

Buhari approves establishment of 3 new polytechnics

Don't Miss

JAMB releases UTME mock results

Education

Niger State Urges Local Communities to Protect Newly Completed Public Schools

Published

9 hours ago

September 16, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

Niger State Urges Local Communities to Protect Newly Completed Public Schools

Basic education officials deliver modern classrooms to help children learn safely, kicking off an ambitious statewide renovation drive.

State education leaders in Niger State are calling on neighborhood residents and parent groups to take good care of newly renovated primary schools.

On Wednesday, the head of the Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Ibrahim A. Liman, reminded communities that public classrooms belong to everyone, warning that state funding can only make a lasting difference when local people watch over these shared spaces.

To prepare for handing over the keys, board officials visited Zango Primary School in Kontagora and Richard Lander Primary School in New Bussa. These two locations are the first to finish out of seven model schools currently under construction.

During their visits, team members inspected classrooms to make sure builders followed high safety standards, while encouraging neighbors to keep the grounds secure, tidy, and ready for pupils.

Furthermore, state officials explained that these building projects are part of a larger plan to improve early education across every community. Alongside these new classrooms, the board is starting repair work on about 400 primary schools throughout the state.

In addition to fixing desks and roofs, authorities are upgrading classroom teaching tools and supporting teachers. As a result, children across all backgrounds will have safe, welcoming spaces to learn and grow together.

Niger State Urges Local Communities to Protect Newly Completed Public Schools

Education

LASU, LASUED, LASUSTECH Shut as ASUU Begins Indefinite Strike

Published

22 hours ago

September 16, 2026

Hamdalat Bisiriyu

ASUU Crisis Deepens: Lagos Universities Join UNIBEN, Taraba on Indefinite Strike

LASU, LASUED, LASUSTECH Shut as ASUU Begins Indefinite Strike

Students at three Lagos State-owned universities are facing an indefinite interruption of academic activities after ASUU declared a strike over unresolved demands.

LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH are affected by the industrial action announced by the union’s Joint Campus Group.

ASUU said it had given the Lagos State Government 14 days from August 31 to address its concerns. According to the union, the deadline expired without a concrete plan or meaningful dialogue.

The union had also issued a final warning on September 10, but said the September 13 deadline passed without talks.

Its main demand is for Lagos State to domesticate and implement the December 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement across the three institutions.

ASUU also wants the implementation of welfare provisions, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance for serving and retired academic staff.

The union said the strike would continue until negotiations produce a satisfactory outcome. It also urged students and parents to remain calm.

While the dispute has led to a fresh shutdown in Lagos, another ASUU branch has suspended its strike in Plateau State.

The Plateau State University branch reached an agreement with the state government on issues including the 2025 agreement, outstanding arrears, staff accommodation and other demands. Members are expected to return to academic activities from midnight on September 16.

Meanwhile, ASUU at Taraba State University has issued a fresh 14-day ultimatum to the Taraba State Government. The notice runs from September 14 to September 28 and concerns outstanding provisions of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

LASU, LASUED, LASUSTECH Shut as ASUU Begins Indefinite Strike

Education

ASUU Crisis Deepens: Lagos Universities Join UNIBEN, Taraba on Indefinite Strike

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

Trends Admin

ASUU Crisis Deepens: Lagos Universities Join UNIBEN, Taraba on Indefinite Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has not declared a nationwide indefinite strike. However, the union’s national leadership has issued a fresh threat to resume its suspended national strike without notice, while at least three university branches are currently on indefinite strike over unresolved welfare disputes with state governments.

The confusion stems from a wave of branch-level industrial actions that began in early September 2026, combined with an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) resolution warning that a nationwide shutdown could be activated “within the shortest time possible” if governments fail to honour the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

The ASUU branches at the three Lagos State-owned universities declared a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike on September 15, 2026, after the state government allowed a 14-day ultimatum to lapse without initiating dialogue. The unions’ principal demand is the full domestication and implementation of the December 2025 ASUU-FGN agreement, including the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and critical welfare protections for both active and retired academic staff. The strike has the full backing of the ASUU national leadership, and the union stated it will not be suspended until the state government signs, domesticates, and implements the applicable provisions of the agreement in full.

READ ALSO:

The UNIBEN ASUU branch is continuing its indefinite strike, which began on September 9, 2026, over the alleged underpayment of August 2026 salaries. A congress held on September 11 resolved that the strike would continue because the university administration failed to provide clear details of what was paid, what was outstanding, and when it would be paid. University management insists the Federal Government paid August salaries in full, and that the payment in question was CATA, not salary.

ASUU at Taraba State University resumed an indefinite strike following the state government’s failure to implement an agreement reached on January 17, 2025. On September 14, the branch issued a final 14-day ultimatum to the Taraba State Government, which will expire on September 28, 2026, if outstanding provisions are not addressed. The union had previously suspended a planned strike in August to allow the university’s combined convocation ceremonies to proceed.

The UNIZIK ASUU branch suspended its indefinite strike on September 11, 2026, after the university management paid the complete August 2026 salary. The strike had been declared on September 7 over the non-payment of full August salaries. The branch directed all members to resume academic and administrative duties immediately.

At the national level, ASUU has threatened to reactivate its suspended nationwide strike if the Federal Government and state governments fail to urgently resolve outstanding issues. This decision followed an emergency NEC meeting held at the University of Abuja on September 5, 2026. ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, stated that unless immediate and concrete steps are taken, the union “will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible”. The unresolved issues include three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries from the seven-and-a-half months withheld under the previous administration, unremitted third-party deductions (pension contributions, cooperative funds, and ASUU check-off dues) allegedly withheld for several months, breaches of university laws and autonomy, and the worsening conditions of the academic profession.

ASUU commended governors who had commenced implementation of the 2025 agreement, singling out Abia State Governor Alex Otti for praise, noting he publicly announced full adoption and apologised for bureaucratic delays. The union also listed Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Kebbi, Katsina, and Borno as states where implementation had commenced. It noted pledges to begin in Kano, Edo, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe, and Bayelsa in September or October 2026.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar challenged President Bola Tinubu to account for savings from petrol subsidy removal, arguing that the renewed university crisis exposed a contradiction in the government’s reform claims. Atiku said Nigerians had endured unprecedented cost-of-living increases while public universities remained underfunded and lecturers were again threatening to strike.