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In the past decade, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on several strikes that have shut down public universities for hundreds of days – at enormous cost to students, families, and the nation’s development. The latest two-week warning strike is yet another chapter in the long, tragic story of promises broken and education betrayed.

Once again, the gates of Nigeria’s public universities are closed – not by lecturers who dislike teaching, nor by students who detest learning, but by a government that has turned deceit into policy.

The action declared by ASUU on October 13, 2025, is not an act of rebellion but a cry for justice which is an expression of frustration against a system built on betrayal, arrogance, and calculated indifference.

For the umpteenth time, the federal government has toyed with the education sector by signing agreements it never intends to honour, masking its failures with propaganda, and treating dialogue as an inconvenience rather than a duty.

This strike, as always, is not born of greed but of grief. ASUU’s demands remain simple, patriotic, and long overdue: revitalization funds for collapsing universities, earned allowances for overworked lecturers, and the genuine implementation of agreements freely entered into years ago.

Regrettably, instead of keeping its word, the government prefers to recycle deceit – setting up committees that do nothing and issuing memos that mean even less.

In the past 10 years alone, public universities have lost more than 700 academic days to strikes. The 2020 industrial action alone lasted for about nine months, with devastating consequences for students whose academic journeys were disrupted and dreams deferred.

At a press conference on October 12, 2025, ASUU President, Professor Chris Piwuna, declared that the union had reached its limit. ‘There has been no meaningful progress to prevent the union from moving forward with its planned industrial action,’ he said, describing the government’s response as ‘a paper without substance, a promise without soul.’ It was, he added, further proof that the government neither listens nor learns.

Rather than engage with sincerity, the government resorted to its habitual threat – the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy. Vice-Chancellors were directed to take roll calls and withhold the salaries of striking lecturers. Such a response exposes not only the government’s insensitivity but also its misunderstanding of the issue. The ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy assumes ASUU’s struggle is about money. It is not. It is about integrity, national survival, and the restoration of a decaying university system.

Professor Piwuna’s response was firm and dignified: ‘We don’t respond to threats. Nobody can threaten us.’ His words echo the frustrations of thousands of lecturers who continue to teach in overcrowded classrooms, with obsolete equipment, unpaid salaries, and crumbling facilities. How do you threaten those who already endure deprivation in defence of knowledge? How do you intimidate people whose only demand is that government should honour its word?

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in a strong show of solidarity, has thrown its weight behind ASUU. NLC President, Joe Ajaero, condemned the government’s position and described the ‘No Work, No Pay’ order as a distortion of justice. ‘The breach of contract lies with the state, not the scholars,’ he said. ‘The lecturers are willing to work, but the government, by reneging on its commitments, has made it impossible for them to do so with dignity.’ The NLC has warned that if the crisis is not resolved after the two-week warning strike, the entire labour movement will join the struggle. Its message is clear: an injury to one is an injury to all.

Every ASUU strike is born out of broken promises. Each dishonoured agreement becomes the seed of another shutdown. When classrooms fall silent, it is not a victory for the union but a failure of leadership. For a government that claims to champion reform, it is shameful that it cannot reform itself into honesty.

How can a nation progress when its leaders prefer propaganda to dialogue and intimidation to sincerity? How can a country build a future when those who build minds are treated as adversaries?

ASUU’s struggle is not a fight for privilege but for the soul of education. It is a confrontation with the moral decay that defines governance in Nigeria – a protest against a system that rewards mediocrity and punishes excellence; that starves its teachers while feeding corruption; that sends its leaders’ children abroad to study while neglecting the universities that once shaped them. This is not just hypocrisy; it is moral bankruptcy.

The strike is therefore not an act of defiance but of deliverance – a reminder that education is not an expense but an investment in national survival. When government mocks ASUU’s persistence, it mocks the idea of a thinking nation. When it ignores their demands, it declares war on knowledge. And when it threatens ‘No Work, No Pay,’ it reveals its poverty of morality.

Nigeria’s government has lost credibility. It preaches patriotism yet destroys public institutions. It talks of progress but fears enlightenment. It calls for calm but provokes anger through deceit. There is no honour in governance that cannot keep its word, no progress in policies founded on lies. What ASUU demands is what any responsible government should willingly provide – a functional university system, fair remuneration, and a future that does not drive the youth to flee the country.

It is disheartening that no Nigerian professor earns up to $600 a month, while colleagues in smaller African nations – Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, even Niger Republic – receive between $2,000 and $3,000. Since 1999, the economic cost of ASUU strikes, including lost productivity and damage to infrastructure, is estimated at over ?1.2 trillion. But the greater cost is moral – the erosion of faith in governance and the normalization of deceit.

The current ASUU strike should be seen not as a disruption but as a call to conscience – a desperate reminder that silence in the face of injustice is complicity. ASUU’s action is driven not by hatred but by hope: hope that one day Nigeria will be led by men and women who understand that a nation that starves its universities feeds its own destruction.

When teachers strike, it is not because they hate to teach but because they can no longer endure the insult of a government that refuses to learn. The chalk is crying, classrooms are empty, and the future trembles – waiting for a government that still does not listen. If the Tinubu administration continues to trade sincerity for propaganda, history will remember that ASUU stood firm when truth became unfashionable.

For when a government breaks its promise to its teachers, it breaks its promise to its people. And a nation that betrays its educators has already begun to fail its children.

Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) has arrived at the Senate chamber of the National Assembly for screening as requested by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Senate had suspended its rules on Thursday to allow Amupitan, his family and others into the chambers.

Amupitan was nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the expiration of he tenure of Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

The Federal Government and the European Union (EU) have inaugurated a National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC) to oversee the pound 40 million Education and Youth Empowerment in Northwest Nigeria (EYEPINN) programme.

The programme, which is being implemented in Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto States, aims to tackle out-of-school children, facilitate teacher development, and promote youth skills acquisition in the Northwest region.

The committee, chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and co-chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, will meet annually to provide strategic guidance, with a secretariat handled by the EU Technical Assistance Team (EU-TAT).

Also, quarterly technical meetings are planned to monitor progress closely.

Speaking in Abuja, during the official inauguration of the committee, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, praised the EU’s partnership and investment in Nigeria’s education sector, which have continued to improve access, equity, quality, and system resilience.

The Permanent Secretary, represented by the Director of Poly Education and Allied Institutes, Dr. Usman Ejeh, said, ‘The EYEPINN project represents one of the most strategic interventions aimed at addressing the persistent challenges of out-of-school children, teacher capacity development, safe learning environments, and skills acquisition for youths in Nigeria’s Northwest region.

‘The EU’s continued support through programmes such as EYEPINN and Expand, Integrate and Strengthen Systems (EISS), reflects a shared commitment to empowering our young people and ensuring that every child, irrespective of gender or background, has the opportunity to learn and thrive.’

Highlighting the committee’s role in ensuring accountability and integrating results into national policies, he added, ‘The committee serves, not only as a platform for oversight, but also a forum for strategic dialogue to ensure that the collective efforts of all partners are coherent, complementary, and impactful. The success of EYEPINN depends on how well we collaborate, federal, state, and local governments, working hand-in-hand with our international partners.

‘We must ensure that every Euro invested translates into measurable impact, better learning outcomes, empowered teachers, safer schools, and a more resilient education system that leaves no child behind.’

In her remarks, Team Leader, Human Development, European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Leila Ben Amor Mathieu, highlighted the programme’s significance as the delegation’s first standalone education initiative.

‘This is the EU Delegation to Nigeria first project solely on education. It is our flagship project. We hadn’t had any before. We really wanted it to be designed in tune with the ministry and to serve the needs of Nigerian people,’ she said.

Stating that the EU is committed to remaining a very strong partner to Nigeria, as shown in its commitment for the period of 2021-2027, she said, ‘We have about pound 800 million for that period only on national programmes, plus another several hundreds that benefit Nigeria, but out of regional programme windows.’

Stating that the project aims to address existing gaps in basic education, she said, ‘This is a pound 40 million project that we fund through UNICEF, Plan International, DIME, and also some technical assistance provided to the ministry. We would have loved to add secondary education, but we stopped at basic education, in particular targeting out-of-school children, nomadic education. We worked with the Quranic schools.’

UNICEF’s Chief of Education, Vanessa Lee, described the programme as timely, ‘It came at a critical time in Nigeria’s education reform progress to support both the Federal and the State Ministries of Education and Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) in transforming the education system.’

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has announced that it has registered a total of 3,686 firms in Kano State under the Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) 2010, a scheme designed to provide financial relief to workers who suffer death, injury, disability, or illness in the line of duty.

The revelation was made by the NSITF Kano Branch Manager, Mr. Muhammed Bukar Sanka, during a courtesy visit to the Media Trust Group’s Kano Regional Office.

He said the Fund is committed to ensuring that every employee in the country enjoys social security benefits through proper employer registration.

According to him, more companies in Kano are currently in the process of enrolling, adding that the scheme remains one of the most important safety nets for workers across Nigeria.

‘Under the ECA 2010, any employee who sustains an injury or disability while carrying out their job is entitled to compensation. That’s why every employer should register with the Fund to protect their workforce,’ Sanka emphasized.

Responding, the Regional General Manager of Media Trust Group, Mr. Shamsuddeen Sani, applauded the NSITF for its efforts and urged the agency to broaden its awareness campaigns.

He said more Nigerians need to understand the benefits of the compensation programme and how it safeguards employees’ welfare.

‘Public sensitization is key. Many workers still don’t know they have a right to such protection under the law,’ Sani noted.

One of the most troubling aspects of the recent wave of defections to the All-Progressives Congress (APC) is the apparent lack of any coherent ideological foundation driving these moves. Rather than being motivated by shared values, policy visions, or principled disagreements, many politicians seem to be switching allegiances primarily for personal gain, political survival, or access to power. This absence of a unifying ideology raises the risk that the APC, now absorbing diverse – and at times conflicting – interests, may become a battleground for ambitions and oversized egos. The resulting internal tensions could threaten the party’s cohesion and stability, potentially leading to an implosion as various factions, both original members and newcomers, jostle for dominance.

The irony is profound: the APC itself was born as an amalgamation of several opposition parties – a kind of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) – created to challenge and ultimately unseat the then-dominant Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In 2015, the APC succeeded in stripping the PDP of its ruling mantle, presenting itself as a corrective force against the excesses and entrenched interests of the previous regime. Fast forward to today, the APC has effectively donned the very cloak that the PDP was disrobed of, transforming from a coalition of reform-minded opposition groups into the new locus of power, patronage, and political opportunism.

This transformation highlights a cyclical pattern in Nigerian politics, where parties rise not on the strength of their ideology or policy platforms, but on the ability to aggregate power through defections and alliances. The danger is that the APC, now swollen with defectors and lacking a clear ideological compass, may be plagued by infighting, conflicting ambitions, and the challenge of accommodating disparate interests. Without a common vision, the risk of fragmentation and eventual implosion grows, especially as the ambitions of both long-standing members and new entrants collide.

These trends are further exemplified by high-profile defections that often coincide with periods of heightened scrutiny or political vulnerability. For instance, the Delta State governor’s move to the PDP came shortly after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) began investigating state finances and detained his influential ally, Ifeanyi Okowa, the PDP’s presidential candidate running mate in the 2023 elections. Similarly, the Cross River State governor switched allegiance amidst shifting political tides, while Peter Mbah of Enugu State and numerous legislators in the national assembly have also changed sides, underscoring how personal interests and survival frequently outweigh ideological commitments. Such defections reinforce the cycle where access to power and resources becomes the driving force, ensuring that the politically connected become even more entrenched, and the gap between the powerful and the rest widens.

Ultimately, these developments underscore the urgent need for political reforms that prioritize ideological clarity, internal party democracy, and principled leadership. Without these, Nigeria’s party system risks perpetuating a cycle of opportunistic realignments, undermining the prospects for genuine democratic consolidation and governance that reflects the country’s diverse aspirations.

Amid these developments, it’s important to note that allegations by some politicians that President Tinubu is steering Nigeria toward a one-party state are increasingly evident, yet there seems to be a collective indifference to the potential repercussions. One cannot help but hope that he is not drawing inspiration from the playbook of Paul Biya in Cameroon, our next-door neighbour, where consolidation of power has led to long-term stagnation and democratic erosion. The consequences for Nigeria could be dire, but the president appears unfazed by these warnings, raising serious concerns about the future of pluralism and democratic governance in the country.

For a pluralistic society as vast and diverse as Nigeria, the drift toward a one-party state poses existential dangers to national unity, democratic vibrancy, and social harmony. The suppression or marginalization of opposition voices erodes the very foundation of democracy, which thrives on healthy competition, accountability, and the representation of multiple interests. In such an environment, dissent is stifled, policy debates become mere formalities, and the ruling party’s dominance often translates into unchecked abuse of power and disregard for minority rights. The absence of robust opposition not only weakens institutional checks and balances but also fosters a climate where corruption, impunity, and authoritarian tendencies can flourish unchecked.

President Tinubu’s apparent single-minded pursuit of political consolidation, characterized by an indifference to the warning signs of creeping authoritarianism, is particularly alarming. His unwavering focus on entrenching the APC’s dominance, often at the expense of pluralism and fair political competition, suggests a willingness to sacrifice the principles of democratic governance for the allure of absolute control. Such a trajectory, if left unchallenged, risks turning Nigeria into a polity where diversity is suppressed rather than celebrated, and where the promise of inclusive, participatory governance gives way to the dangers of autocracy and stagnation. Ultimately, the erosion of pluralism would not only undermine Nigeria’s democratic experiment but also threaten the delicate social fabric that binds the country’s many ethnic, religious, and regional communities together.

Stakeholders in the advertising and legal practices yesterday described the new Advertising Offences Tribunal (AOT) as a veritable instrument to protect consumers and legitimate businesses against fraudulent advertisements.

They spoke yesterday during the town hall meeting on the ‘Nigerian Advertising Law: The Role of the AOT’ organised by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) in conjunction with the NBA Lawyers in the Media.

Daily Trust reports that the tribunal was established under the ARCON Act of 2022 to handle and adjudicate on advertising-related offences.

Since its establishment, many firms have been charged for contravening various sections of the advertising law.

Chairman, Advertising Offences Tribunal, Justice Cecilia Olatoregun at yesterday’s forum said the AOT transited Nigerian advertising regulations from soft compliance to active enforcement of advertising laws. According to her, ARCON empowered by Sections 4 and 7 of the ARCON Act had already shown a more aggressive enforcement posture beyond playing an advisory role. She stated that the AOT has its practice direction issued under the ARCON Act which ‘serves as the procedural backbone of tribunal proceedings.’ ‘It is explicit, it is aligned with the Evidence Act and the ACJA (Administration of Criminal Justice Act). The direction covers initiation of proceedings, defendants’ appearance, prosecution case presentation, defence rights and cross-examination, among others, she said.

Keynote Speaker, Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria represented by Leke Kehinde explained that the AOT is necessary especially in a digital age where a single misleading post can reach millions while misinformation can cause danger in the society.

He stated that the advertising space is awash with several misleading health products and fraudulent investment schemes and harmful contents which are difficult to checkmate with the traditional thought processes.

He described the Tribunal’s powers as robust, saying it can impose fines for violations; Issue search warrants to gather evidence; Compel attendance and testimony; and Impose custodial sentences.

‘Importantly, appeals from the AOT go directly to the Court of Appeal, bypassing lower courts. This accelerated appellate pathway reflects the technical nature of advertising disputes and the need for speed in a fast-moving market.

‘Since its inauguration in May 2023, the AOT has handled over 300 cases, marking a new era in advertising enforcement. These cases span false advertising, unlicensed practice, failure to vet adverts, misleading health claims, and digital platform violations,’ he said.

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe represented by the Second Vice-President of the NBA said the NBA was poised to assist their learned colleagues in the media to operate within the ambit of the law in practicing advertising.

Director-General of ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo stated that advertising is so important that it has to be well regulated.

According to him, the law requires that before anyone can practise advertising, the person must be certified.

He reiterated that ARCON doesn’t vet advertising but the messages contained in the advertising.