The Nigeria Labour Congress has said its organs will meet and decide on the next line of action as the ultimatum it issued to the Federal Government over the looming industrial action in public tertiary institutions (ASUU strike) expires on Saturday (today).
The acting Secretary-General of the NLC, Benson Upah, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday.
The NLC, after a meeting with tertiary institution-based unions, resolved to give the Federal Government a one-month ultimatum to resolve the lingering crisis in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
“We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. They have started talks with ASUU, but the problem in this sector goes beyond ASUU. That is why we are extending this to four weeks.
“The era of signing agreements, negotiations and threatening the unions involved has come to an end,” the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said while briefing the press after the meeting with labour leaders.
With the expiration of the deadline on Friday, Upah told our correspondent that the NLC remained committed to industrial harmony in tertiary institutions.
He said, “In keeping with our pledge and in pursuance of our unflagging commitment to the noble causes of the unions in tertiary institutions, appropriate organs of the Congress will meet and decide on the next line of action. You’d be duly informed.”
Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has urged the Federal Government to ensure that necessary measures are taken to avert the looming strike in public universities.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Assistant Secretary-General of NANS, Adejuwon Olatunji-Emmanuel, called on the Federal Government to take “urgent, decisive, and lasting action” to address the issues surrounding the ongoing warning strike declared by ASUU.
Olatunji-Emmanuel said it was imperative that all necessary measures be taken to prevent a total shutdown of academic activities across tertiary institutions.
“Since the beginning of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Nigerian students have enjoyed an uninterrupted academic calendar, a level of stability not experienced since 1999. This progress must be safeguarded.
“Sustaining this momentum is essential not only for academic continuity but also for national development, productivity, and the well-being of millions of students whose futures depend on a functional and stable education system,” he added.
He further urged the Federal Government and all stakeholders to prioritise constructive dialogue and the immediate resolution of all pending concerns to ensure that campuses remain open and learning continues without disruption.
ASUU had on October 22 suspended its two-week warning strike, granting the Federal Government a one-month window to meet its demands. The one-month window, however, expired on Friday (yesterday).
Among the demands are the review of the 2009 ASUU–Federal Government agreement, payment of outstanding salaries and earned allowances, and disbursement of the university revitalisation fund.
The union warned that it would resume industrial action without prior notice if no concrete steps were taken within one month.
But the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the government had met the demands of the union.
Speaking to State House correspondents two weeks ago, the minister reiterated the President’s earlier directive that there should not be any strike in public universities, adding that negotiations were ongoing and that the government was doing all that is humanly possible to keep students in school.
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