THE Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors of all federal universities to strictly enforce the “No Work, No Pay” policy against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) participating in the ongoing nationwide strike.
A circular dated October 13, 2025, and reported by Punch Newspaper, confirmed the development, warning that the government would no longer tolerate violations of labour laws.
The circular, which was confirmed to The ICIR by the Education Ministry spokesperson Boriowo Folasade, was copied to key government offices, including the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), among others.
“In line with the provisions of the Labour Laws of the Federation, the Federal Government reiterates its position on the enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in respect of any employee who fails to discharge his or her official duties during the period of strike action,” the circular reads.
Alausa further directed all vice-chancellors to conduct a roll call and physical headcount of all academic staff in their institutions.
He also asked the vice-chancellors to submit a detailed report indicating those present at work and those participating in the strike, ordering that salaries be withheld for all academic employees who fail to perform their duties during the strike.
He noted that only members of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) and the National Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), who are not part of the strike, should receive their pay.
Recall that CONUA’s president Niyi Sunmonu, had in a statement, clarified that the union is committed to maintaining academic stability through constructive dialogue and peaceful engagement with the government and other stakeholders.
“It is important to emphasize that CONUA has no basis at this time to declare a dispute or embark on any strike action,” Sunmonu stated.
Backstory
Meanwhile, The ICIR reports that the directive followed ASUU’s firm stance on continuing its two-week warning strike, which began on Monday, October 13, 2025, despite the Federal Government’s plea for restraint.
Reacting to a statement by the Federal Ministry of Education urging the union to shelve its planned strike, ASUU described the move as a threat disguised as negotiation.
In a phone interview with The ICIR on Monday, ASUU president Chris Piwuna stated that the strike had already commenced across public universities nationwide.
He added that the government could not threaten the union and simultaneously call for negotiation, urging authorities to withdraw their threat if they sought genuine dialogue.
ASUU demands have been met –FG
Earlier today, the federal government reiterated that it has addressed all the concerns raised by the striking university lecturers, insisting there is no justification for the union’s planned industrial action.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, stated this during a live interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, where he appealed to university lecturers to suspend the planned strike and return to the classrooms.
“We have addressed every single request by ASUU; there is no need for this strike, and we are pleading with them to go back to school. We need to keep our children in school,” Alausa said. He added that no other group has engaged his office as frequently as ASUU since he assumed office.
The minister dismissed claims that the government had been indifferent to ASUU’s long-standing demands, explaining that President Bola Tinubu had directed his administration to ensure fair treatment for all labour unions.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M