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ASUU Strike: NLC Ignores FG’s Request, Insists On Protest

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The Federal Government and labor unions on Wednesday clashed over the groups’ refusal to back down on its planned two-day nationwide protests scheduled for July 26 and 27.

No fewer than 40 unions, including the aviation workers, will participate in the rally called in solidarity with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities which has shut down public universities since February 14 over the failure of the government to meet its demands.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Wednesday, said the protest was illegal since the Nigeria Labour Congress had no pending disputes with the government but the congress retorted that it would go on with the protest, saying the freedom to protest is guaranteed by the constitution.

ASUU embarked on a one-month warning strike on February 14 to press home its demand for the implementation of the October 2009 ASUU/FGN agreement.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions, and National Association of Academic Technologists later joined the industrial action.

In May, the ASUU President, Emmanuel Osodeke, announced the extension of the three-month prolonged strike by an additional three months.

In reaction, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, said in March that the government had paid over N92bn, including N40bn for earned academic allowances for ASUU and other unions and N30b for university revitalization as part of the implementation of the agreement reached with the union in December 2020.

The FG also reconstituted a team to renegotiate the 2009 agreement it had with the varsity teachers. The team was headed by Pro-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, and Prof Nimi Briggs.

To fast-track the resolution of the crisis, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Tuesday, directed the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to resolve the five-month strike within two weeks and report back to him.

In solidarity with ASUU, the NLC on July 17 announced that it would kick off a nationwide protest to pressure the federal government to resolve the crisis in the tertiary education sector.

But addressing State House correspondents after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President, the information minister, Mohammed, accused the Congress of being motivated by partisan interests, saying it was supposed to be “completely insulated from politics.”

He said, “The NLC is not a political party. The NLC can go on strike or protest if the rights of the NLC members are involved. What the NLC is planning in the next few days is about interest. There’s no dispute whatsoever between NLC as a body with the Federal Government.

“Well yes, there’s a dispute between some members of the NLC, ASUU, and the federal government, which is being looked into. And NLC itself is a party to the committee that is looking into the solution.

“So, calling out people on street protest; you begin to wonder, what is the motive of the NLC in this matter? But you see here, we do not interrogate what the NLC is doing. The NLC by its own laws cannot even give out pamphlets. And the NLC is supposed to be completely insulated from politics.”

In a separate briefing, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said he had proposed one week to resolve the FG-ASUU faceoff but the education minister volunteered to resolve the issues in two weeks.

He also debunked reports that the President asked him to steer clear of the negotiations saying “the truth of the matter is there is no such thing, it’s just categorically untrue. There is nothing like a hands-off.”

Also, the Federal Ministry of Education described as unreasonable the plans of the NLC to embark on a two-day solidarity protest despite the directive of the President to the education minister to end the lingering strike in two weeks.

Speaking in an interview in Abuja, the spokesperson for the education ministry, Ben Goong, advised ASUU to call off its strike pending the commencement of the negotiations by Adamu.

He stated, “The President has given specific directives and the minister of education has said that he will carry out the president’s directive to the letter. It is a presidential directive and it will happen. Actions have been taken.

“If they still go ahead with the strike then it will be unreasonable. It will be a slap on the face of the president and also on the minister. In fact, we will advise ASUU to suspend its strike pending when the negotiations begin.”

Reacting, the Head, Information and Public Affairs, NLC, Mr. Benson Upah, in an interview said the government could resolve the lingering strike within three days if it was serious about the crisis, stressing that the union was going ahead with its protests.

He stated, “We’re still going ahead (with the protests). The public auction is on July 26th and then the mega one is on (July) 27th. So, I mean, of what effect will two weeks have on that?

“I am saying that had the government asked the minister of education to solve this problem within two or three days, aha. But he is giving him two weeks, and two weeks will come after our protest must have taken place. Don’t you think so? So it’s like take charge of it.’’

While acknowledging the ultimatum handed down to the education minister, the NLC spokesman argued that nothing had happened to change the proposed rally.

He further added, ‘’If the government wants to end this matter today, I assure you that they will be able to fix it in three hours. Remember when the airline operators planned to go on strike and within hours there was an intervention; remember?

“The summary of what I want to tell you is that nothing has happened for us to change our proposed action. All I know is that we’re going on with our action.’’

BIG STORY

Senate Braces For Showdown As Natasha Akpoti Plans Return Today

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There are concerns that the Senate leadership may clash with the suspended senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, after she vowed to attend the plenary today.

The Senate is, however, preparing for a possible confrontation and has stated that it will not take any official action on the matter until it reviews the Certified True Copy of the court’s ruling.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, in a video circulating on social media, told her excited supporters that she would return to her legislative duties in the Red Chamber on Tuesday.

She also thanked her constituents for their support after the court ruling that upheld her position in the Senate.

She said, “I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God.”

A Federal High Court in Abuja had, on Friday, overturned the six-month suspension placed on Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Senate.

The court ruled that the suspension was excessive, unconstitutional, and violated the rights of her constituents, ordering her immediate reinstatement.

The court also imposed a fine of N5m on her for contempt over a Facebook post deemed to have breached an earlier court order.

Justice Binta Nyako, in her ruling, stated that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s Facebook post, which contained a satirical apology aimed at Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, violated an interim injunction issued on March 4, 2025.

The injunction had prohibited all parties from making public comments or social media posts related to the ongoing legal case challenging her suspension.

However, less than 24 hours after she announced plans to return to plenary, the Senate stated that it would wait to receive and review the Certified True Copy of the court’s judgment before taking any official steps.

In a statement on Sunday, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Yemi Adaramodu, explained that although their legal team was present in court, the full judgment was not read aloud.

He also mentioned that a formal request had been made to obtain the Certified True Copy for a complete understanding of the court’s decision and any specific directives.

The statement partly read, “Pending receipt and examination of the CTC, and acting on the advice of counsel, the Senate shall refrain from taking any steps that may prejudice its legal position.”

Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for six months in March after a heated session where she accused Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Her suspension drew widespread criticism from civil society organisations and human rights advocates.

She later filed a lawsuit against the Senate and its leadership, claiming that the suspension was a deliberate attempt to silence her and deny her constituents representation.

Following a satirical Facebook post dated April 27, where she offered what the court described as a “mock apology” to Akpabio, the Senate President’s legal team filed a contempt charge against her.

They argued that the post defied the court’s gag order.

During the hearing, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers argued that the post had nothing to do with the suspension case, maintaining it was related to her separate misconduct claims against the Senate President.

However, Justice Nyako disagreed, ruling that the post was connected to the case and constituted a clear violation of the court’s order.

The judge imposed a N5m fine on her and ordered her to issue a public apology within seven days.

The judge further directed that the apology must be published in two national newspapers and reposted on her Facebook page.

As of Monday evening, Akpoti-Uduaghan had not yet published the apology in the required newspapers or on her Facebook page.

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BREAKING: ASUU Commences Indefinite Nationwide Strike Over Delayed June Salary

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities has instructed its members across the country to begin an indefinite strike over the delayed payment of their June salaries, reports thegazellenews.com

According to ASUU’s leadership, this decision is in line with the union’s policy of no pay no work.

ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development to Tribune Online on Monday, 7 July, 2025, in Abuja. He explained that universities are only enforcing a National Executive Council resolution, which states that if salaries are delayed beyond three days into the new month, members should stop work until they are paid.

Piwuna criticised government officials for their indifferent attitude towards the issue of lecturers’ salaries, describing the salaries as meagre.

He explained that since university workers were moved from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System, members have been facing serious difficulties due to salary delays.

He said the union had engaged with government officials, including the Minister of Education and the Accountant General of the Federation, but there was no positive outcome. As a result, the ASUU NEC decided to enforce the “No Pay, No Work” policy.

He said: “What they are doing is just enforcing a NEC resolution. We have agreed at NEC that our members are going through a lot since our migration out of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System. Certainly, our salaries are delayed for a week and sometimes 10 days before our members receive the paltry amount we get to help us carry out our duties well.

Therefore, we agreed that if there is no pay, there will be no work,” Piwuna said.

When asked if other universities would join the strike, the ASUU President said every institution that has not received payment is expected to stop work, stressing that this was the NEC’s resolution and the only way to address the issue, which he said is being deliberately caused by certain government officials, particularly at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

He stated that any institution yet to be paid will join the strike because “we are tired of talking about this.”

“We have spoken to the relevant authorities—the minister is aware, the Office of the Accountant General is aware. All those concerned are aware that this thing has been happening. We’ve had meetings with them to express our dissatisfaction with the way our salaries are being paid, and they have not taken any action. We want to work, but we cannot because they have not allowed us to work,” he stated.

Piwuna stressed that there is no valid reason for the government to delay salary payments, as the payment platform has no issues.

He noted that once funds are released to universities, there are no complaints about underpayment or non-payment of salaries.

“So, the platform through which the payment is effected has not been the problem. It’s just a deliberate effort by the Office of the Accountant General to delay the release of the funds. The platform is working well, but those who make it work are not willing to make it work. We think it’s a deliberate act; that is the point we are making,” the ASUU President added.

He also highlighted that salary delay is currently the most urgent problem for union members, and warned that the government must release the outstanding N10 billion Earned Academic Allowance without delay to prevent another crisis.

He said the government was expected to pay N50 billion in total, but only N40 billion has been disbursed, leaving a balance of N10 billion.

“On the EAA you talked about, the total amount was N50 billion, and what they gave to us is N40 billion. N10 billion is still outstanding. We hope that this is paid quickly so that we do not have to fight over it,” the ASUU President said.

Chairman of the University of Jos branch of ASUU, Jurbe Molwus, announced that members of the union at the university had stopped work due to the delay in their June 2025 salaries.

Molwus explained that the action followed the National Executive Council resolution, which directs branches to act whenever salaries are not paid by the third day of a new month, with the congress supporting this decision. He said union members have stopped attending lectures and statutory meetings.

The Chairman added that any time salaries are delayed beyond the third day of the month, lecturers would continue to withdraw their services.

He also mentioned that the branch’s strike monitoring team had been activated to ensure full compliance.

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the University of Abuja also withdrew their services on Monday over the delay in the payment of their June 2025 salaries, according to Nigerian Tribune.

Chairman of the UniAbuja branch of ASUU, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, did not respond to calls to confirm the strike action by his members.

However, the spokesperson for the University of Abuja, Dr. Habib Yakoob, said he was not in a position to comment on the matter and advised that questions about the June salaries or the strike should be directed to the ASUU branch chairman.

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‘Several Terrorists’ Killed As NAF Air Strikes Hit Boko Haram Hideout In Borno

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The Nigerian Air Force says multiple terrorists were eliminated after carrying out precision air strikes on a Boko Haram hideout located in the Mandara Mountains of Borno state.

In a statement released on Monday, Ehimen Ejodame, spokesperson for the NAF, stated that the strikes were executed on Sunday under Operation Hadin Kai, following intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Ejodame explained that the air strikes specifically targeted Wa Jahode and Loghpere, which have been identified as major strongholds of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad faction of Boko Haram.

He pointed out that the mountainous region close to the Cameroon border had recently seen increased terrorist activities, including the stockpiling of supplies and sightings of top JAS commanders.

According to the NAF spokesperson, surveillance operations uncovered clusters of buildings fitted with solar panels, black flags, and fortified structures, all suggesting a resurgence of insurgent activity.

He noted that NAF fighter jets were deployed to carry out coordinated air attacks, successfully destroying the terrorists’ logistics hubs, command centres, and defensive shelters.

Ejodame said the air strikes dealt a serious blow to the insurgents by disrupting their supply lines and reducing their capacity to carry out further attacks.

He added that the air force remains determined to continue operations to help restore peace in the region.

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