The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government a four-week ultimatum to conclude negotiations with all tertiary institution-based unions or risk a nationwide strike.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, issued the warning on Monday during an interactive session with labour correspondents in Abuja, following a meeting with leaders of university and polytechnic unions at the Congress headquarters.

Ajaero criticised the government’s “no work, no pay” policy against members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as punitive and provocative.

“We have decided to give the Federal Government four weeks to conclude all negotiations in this sector. Talks have started with ASUU, but the challenges go beyond ASUU,” he said.

“If after four weeks these talks are not concluded, the organs of the NLC’s National Executive Council will meet and take a nationwide action. All workers and unions will be involved so we can address the root of this crisis.”

The labour leader declared that the era of one-sided agreements and threats to unions had ended, warning that the NLC would henceforth apply a reverse stance to the government’s sanction policy.

“The so-called policy of ‘no work, no pay’ will henceforth be ‘no pay, no work’. You cannot benefit from an action you instigated. More than 90 percent of strikes in this country are caused by government’s failure to honour agreements,” Ajaero said.

Nigeria’s tertiary education system has again been thrown into turmoil following the ongoing strike by ASUU, which has led to the closure of universities nationwide.

ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, had on Sunday announced the strike at a press briefing in Abuja after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the government on September 28. The union cited unresolved issues relating to staff welfare, infrastructure decay, unpaid salary arrears, and the non-implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement.

Although the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, recently stated that the government had released ₦50 billion for earned academic allowances and earmarked ₦150 billion in the 2025 budget for a needs assessment programme to be disbursed in three instalments, ASUU dismissed the gesture as insufficient.

The union’s demands include the full implementation of the 2009 agreement, payment of withheld salaries and arrears, sustainable funding for universities, protection against victimisation, and release of withheld cooperative and union deductions.

Reaffirming its solidarity with ASUU and other tertiary education unions, the NLC said it would mobilise its affiliates nationwide if the government failed to act within the four-week window.

The emergency session convened at the NLC headquarters is expected to determine the next line of action toward protecting the welfare of university staff and restoring stability to Nigeria’s public tertiary education system.