As university lecturers begin their nationwide strike today, Monday, a group under the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has distanced itself from the action.
NATIONAL POST recalls the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had declared a two-week total strike which commenced today, Monday.
However, some lecturers under the CONUA have come out to say they are not part of the strike in Nigerian universities.
In a statement signed by its National President, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, the union dismissed reports on social media claiming it was part of the industrial action.
“CONUA wishes to categorically clarify that it has not declared any strike action and is not part of any ongoing strike,” Sunmonu said.
He reaffirmed the union’s commitment to maintaining academic stability, promoting excellence, and ensuring the smooth running of the university system through dialogue and peaceful engagement with the government and stakeholders.
Sunmonu explained that CONUA had no reason to embark on strike, noting that the union had earlier protested its exclusion from the renegotiation committee of the 2009 Agreement inaugurated in October 2024.
According to him, the protest led to a meeting with the Minister of Education on September 11, 2025, where the minister assured that the Yayale Ahmed Renegotiation Committee would be expanded to include all academic unions.
He said the Ministry of Education had since fulfilled that promise by expanding the committee, and that none of CONUA’s issues with the government had become subjects of dispute.
Sunmonu added that after nationwide congresses held between September 18 and 24, members unanimously resolved that no strike action should be taken, maintaining that engagement, not disruption, remained the best path forward for the university system.
He urged members to continue performing their academic and administrative duties diligently and called on Vice Chancellors to ensure the safety of CONUA members in their workplaces.
The CONUA president also appealed to students to remain focused on their studies, assuring them of the union’s commitment to quality education, national development, and peaceful industrial relations.
Meanwhile, it could be recalled that the Nigerian Government has vowed to impose ‘no work, no pay’ policy on the striking lecturers.
