The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has stated that it is committed to organising a nationwide demonstration over the next two days in order to urge the quick reopening of the country’s publicly-owned tertiary institutions, which have been closed for the past five months.

The resolution was passed by the NLC at the same time that the Usman Danfodio University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) debunked claims made by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who stated that the university’s medical lecturers had withdrawn their participation in the ongoing strike that has been initiated by the university lecturers’ union.

The Nigerian National Labor Congress (NLC) levelled accusations against the federal government, saying that it was not negotiating in good faith to find a solution to the issue in Nigeria’s public universities.

At a meeting of its National Executive Council (NEC) that took place in Abuja on June 30, 2022, the Labour movement made a threat to begin a nationwide protest in order to persuade “the federal government to conclude the ongoing negotiation with trade unions in Nigeria’s universities and be prepared to commence implementation of whatever Collective Bargaining Agreement arising therefrom so that public universities in Nigeria can resume normal activities.” The meeting was held in an effort to persuade “the federal government to conclude the ongoing negotiation

The federal government was then issued an ultimatum to address the disagreement over the next 21 days or face a one-day nationwide labour demonstration that might eventually turn into a full-fledged worker’s strike.

The deadline for the ultimatum was set for July 26.

However, in a letter of mobilization that was sent to all of the state branches of the NLC as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Congress instructed them to activate all of the mechanisms in order to implement the decision of the NEC to organise a national protest beginning on Wednesday, July 26 and continuing through Thursday, July 27. This decision was to begin the protest on Wednesday, July 26 and continue through Thursday, July 27.

At the end of the meeting, the NEC came to a number of resolutions, some of which included the condemnation of what was alleged to be an unserious attitude on the part of the government toward negotiations, as well as the activation of a “no work-no pay” policy on the striking workers at the universities.

The NEC referred to the temporary cessation of the payment of salaries to university employees as “draconian.”

Following that, the NEC came to the conclusion that a one-day demonstration of solidarity in support of Congress affiliates working in the education sector should be organised.

However, in a statement that was released the day before, the President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, claimed that the decision of the NEC has been implemented properly, along with a circular that has been sent to affiliates and state councils to ensure compliance.

The National Labor Congress (NLC) expressed disappointment that the conflict between members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other non-teaching staff unions has not been resolved despite the establishment of a high-powered negotiating team with the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari, as its head.

A tripartite meeting was held on May 12, 2022, at the request of the organised labour and well-meaning Nigerians, in order to resolve the crises that were occurring in the tertiary institutions. This was brought to the attention of the federal government by the organised labour and well-meaning Nigerians.

According to NLC, negotiations were held, and the meeting was adjourned for three weeks to allow the Prof. Nimi-Briggs Committee to hand in their report and also to allow the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to subject all of the proposed university payment platforms, including IPPIS, to integrity tests. The meeting was adjourned so that the Prof. Nimi-Briggs Committee could hand in their report, and the meeting was adjourned so that NITDA could

“It was requested that the committee bring its work to a close and present its findings to the bargaining meeting.”

At the Tripartite Plus negotiation meeting, it was the federal government that asked for the meeting to be adjourned for three weeks so that the Briggs Committee could submit their report and an integrity test could be performed on the payment platform that was proposed by the trade unions. The federal government also requested that the meeting be adjourned so that the federal government could submit their report.

“How is it possible for the government to suddenly hurl the finger of blame at the unions for the work of a committee that they themselves appointed? It was claimed in the document that this was the same method that was used to thwart the previous committee report on this subject.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) released a statement that included the following addition: “Given the preceding and in keeping with the resolutions of the NEC of the Nigeria Labour Congress which took place on the 30th of June 2022, we demand the following from the federal government:

“The federal government should immediately conclude the ongoing negotiation with trade unions in Nigeria’s universities and be prepared to begin implementation of whatever Collective Bargaining Agreement emerges from there so that normal activities can be resumed at public universities in Nigeria. This will allow public universities in Nigeria to resume their normal operations.

The salaries of striking university workers had been blocked on the premise of the so-called “no work-no pay” policy. “The federal government should promptly pay the salaries of striking university workers,” especially as advised by the leaders of Nigeria’s two major faiths.

“We demand that these demands be met by the federal government in accordance with the resolutions that have been passed by the statutory organs of the Congress.”

“A circular has been sent to all of the affiliates and state councils of the Nigeria Labour Congress informing them of all of the NEC’s decisions, which have been implemented accordingly.”

NLC also discussed the necessity of reviewing the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement that was made between the federal government and the union in the tertiary institutions. They stated that the agreement had long since expired and hence required a review.

It is common knowledge that the 2009 Collective Bargaining Agreement needs to be revised because of the free fall and ongoing devaluation of the Nigerian naira, the country’s currency.

“As things are right now, the professor or staff member at a university with the highest salary gets less than $800 in cash remuneration per month. This is indeed a really absurd practise, and it is a significant contributor to the high rate of brain drain that we experience in our system, which results in our inability to keep our brightest and most talented employees.

ASUU Responds to Claims Made by the Minister That Medical Lecturers Have Suspended Their Strike

In the meantime, the Usman Danfodo University Chapter of ASUU has refuted assertions made by Ngige that the university’s medical teachers had withdrawn their participation in the ongoing strike that the union has initiated.

Yesterday, at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Sokoto, the chairperson of the union, Prof. Muhammad Almustapha, accused Ngige of giving the Nigerian people false information in a statement that was released there.

He went on to say that Ngige had recently stated, during an interview with Arise TV on July 14, 2022, that the medical instructors at the institution had decided to call off their strike since it was not producing the results they had hoped for.

“On July 14, 2022, Ngige pitifully and shamefully declared that medical lecturers of the institution are working and that they have written to their Vice Chancellor saying they are working,” Ngige added.

He made the observation that the minister had made up the statement out of his own imagination with the intention of misleading the general public and offending the sensibilities of Nigerians.

He added that Ngige had painted a picture of him as being brutal and having a wanton contempt for truth, honesty, and integrity, which is a character trait that is unfit for a federal minister.

“How could a senior minister of the Federal Republic, who is supposed to be an elder statesman, continue to give out disinformation to over 200 million Nigerians, knowing well well that he was not expressing the truth?” he said. “I don’t understand how that’s even possible.”

He insisted that Ngige had not been providing the president with an accurate picture of the situation regarding the negotiations, and he demanded that the minister step down with immediate effect.

He went on to reveal that all of the members of ASUU, UDUS branch, as well as the College of Health Sciences, are currently participating in a strike that is both total and comprehensive and that they have never intended to end the strike until the federal government begins to live up to its responsibilities.

“Contrary to Ngige’s assertions, there is no letter issued by the Vice Chancellor of Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, or any of his representatives, or any union officials, depicting that the medical professors are not on strike at this time,”

In his statement, he made the following challenge to the self-proclaimed “Conciliator,” Dr Chris Ngige: “We challenge the self-acclaimed “Conciliator,” Dr. Chris Ngige to present any factual proof to back his crooked allegations.”

He stated that the reason he was advocating for Ngige to leave was not out of any personal animosity toward the minister, but rather because of his actions and biases, which earned Nigeria a lot of strikes while he was in office.