The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has issued a stern warning to shut down all West African Examinations Council (WAEC) offices across Nigeria.
The union also plans to direct its members within WAEC to embark on an indefinite strike starting Monday, March 24, if their demands are not met.
NASU’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, announced this at a press conference in Lagos on Monday. He stated that the union has given WAEC a seven-day ultimatum to resolve all outstanding disputes with its workers nationwide, or they will proceed with industrial action.
According to Adeyemi, the key issues prompting this move include the alleged victimization of NASU leadership within WAEC, restrictions on trade union activities, the withholding of members’ check-off dues, and WAEC’s failure to honor a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the union on March 10, 2025.
He explained that the conflict began in 2023 when the Federal Government approved a N35,000 palliative allowance for federal workers for six months to ease economic hardship, along with an upward review of the national minimum wage in 2024. However, despite being an international examination body, WAEC only paid its workers N25,000 for three months and implemented a 25% salary increase instead of the initially recommended 30%.
“When workers went on strike last December to demand the agreed 30% salary increment, WAEC’s management reconsidered and agreed to 27.5% instead. Since then, they have been suppressing union activities and victimizing NASU leadership for their role in advocating for workers’ rights,” Adeyemi alleged.
He further accused WAEC management of punishing union members by halting their check-off dues, cutting off engagement with union leaders since January, and attempting to transfer NASU officials out of the headquarters as a form of retaliation.
Describing these actions as a violation of both Nigerian and international labour laws, Adeyemi insisted that NASU would not tolerate any breaches. “We demand an immediate end to all forms of victimization and unlawful transfers of NASU leaders. WAEC must respect workers’ rights to freely participate in trade union activities,” he declared. He warned that failure to meet these demands would result in a massive and sustained industrial action against WAEC.
When contacted for a response, WAEC Nigeria’s Head of Public Affairs, Mrs. Moyosola Adesina, told Tribune Online that she had yet to receive an official statement from WAEC regarding the issues raised by NASU but would provide one in due course.
