The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has disclosed that 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 expires on Saturday (today).
Benson Upah, the acting secretary-general of the NLC, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Friday.
Following a conference of tertiary institution-based unions, the NLC resolved to give the Federal Government a one-month deadline to resolve the ongoing issue 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 labor leaders.
“The era of signing agreements, negotiating, and threatening the unions involved has come to an end,” NLC President Joe Ajaero told reporters following the meeting with labor leaders.
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 take the necessary steps to prevent the impending strike in public colleges.
Speaking with our correspondent, Adejuwon Olatunji-Emmanuel, Assistant Secretary-General of NANS, urged the Federal Government to take “urgent, decisive, and lasting action” to address the concerns surrounding ASUU’s ongoing warning strike.
Olatunji-Emmanuel stated that all essential precautions must be taken to avoid a complete suspension of academic activities at 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 also asked the federal government and other stakeholders to emphasize constructive conversation and the prompt resolution of any outstanding issues to ensure that campuses remain open and learning continues uninterrupted.
On October 22, ASUU paused its two-week warning strike, giving the federal government a one-month window to meet its demands. The one-month period, however, ended on Friday (yesterday).
The requests include a review of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government agreement, payment of overdue salaries and earned allowances, and the allocation of the university revitalization fund.
The union threatened to resume industrial action without notice if no meaningful efforts were taken within a month.
However, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated that the government had met the union’s demands.
Speaking to State House media two weeks ago, the minister restated the president’s previous directive that there should be no strike in public universities, saying that negotiations were ongoing and that the government was doing everything humanly necessary to keep students in school.
