By Joy Yesufu
The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors of all federal universities across the country to enforce the “no work, no pay” policy on members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) currently on strike.
The directive, contained in a circular dated October 13, 2025, was signed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and circulated to key education and financial authorities.
According to the circular, the directive is in line with the provisions of Nigeria’s labour laws, which prohibit payment of salaries to employees who fail to perform their official duties during periods of strike.
“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 stated.
The document was copied to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Pro-Chancellors of all federal universities, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The enforcement directive comes amid the ongoing two-week warning strike declared by ASUU over the Federal Government’s failure to address long-standing issues, including the signing and implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
ASUU has maintained that the strike became necessary after years of unfulfilled commitments by the government on improved welfare, funding for public universities, and revitalisation of the education sector.
The government’s stance is expected to heighten tensions between the Ministry of Education and the union, which has already warned that it may embark on an indefinite industrial action if its demands remain unmet.
