Story: written by Okafor Joseph October 13,2025
A senior lecturer at Moses Adasu University, Makurdi, Benue State, Dr. John Ogi, has criticized the Federal Government over its threat to enforce a no-work-no-pay policy as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embark on a nationwide strike.

The Federal Government had on Sunday warned that it would implement the policy following the commencement of the industrial action by ASUU on Monday.

Reacting to the development, Dr. Ogi described the move as “not only unreasonable but also deeply insensitive.” He urged the government to stop treating university lecturers as “Almajiris,” stressing that such policies only worsen the ongoing crisis in the education sector.

According to him, “The government’s threat disregards the real causes of the strike and undermines the legitimate grievances of university lecturers who are demanding—not begging—for their rightful entitlements.

“President Tinubu may have the capacity to move the nation forward, but his success depends on the quality of advice he receives. Policies that humiliate intellectuals and reduce professionals to the level of dependents reflect a poor understanding of governance and labour relations.”

He further stated that coercive tactics such as the no-work-no-pay policy cannot solve the persistent disputes between ASUU and the government. “This approach only widens the gap between leadership and the workforce. Justice and fairness, not intimidation, should guide the government’s response,” Ogi said.

He added that adopting such “archaic and failed tactics” would portray the government as irresponsible, insisting that ASUU remains united and focused on its demands.

Meanwhile, academic activities across all public universities are expected to be suspended from Monday, October 13, as ASUU begins a two-week comprehensive warning strike.

In a statement on Sunday, the union announced that the strike was in protest of the Federal Government’s failure to address long-standing issues affecting the university system.

ASUU’s demands include the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of withheld three and a half months’ salaries, revitalisation and sustainable funding of public universities, and an end to the victimisation of lecturers at Lagos State University (LASU), Prince Abubakar Audu University, and the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).

Other demands include payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions and union check-off dues.

Earlier, on August 26, ASUU members held protests across federal and state universities to draw the government’s attention to their unmet demands. The union, however, lamented that the appeal was ignored, accusing the authorities of indifference toward the plight of university lecturers.

Despite assurances from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, that the government had reached the final stage of discussions with the union, the dispute has persisted.

It was gathered that the Federal Government held a meeting with ASUU on October 10 in a bid to avert the strike. However, the proposal presented by the government was reportedly rejected by the union’s leadership, which maintained that the offer fell short of addressing their core concerns.