NASU, SSANU Threaten Indefinite Strike Nationwide
Another major setback looms in the nation’s education sector as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) threaten a total and indefinite strike.
Osun Defender reports that the Non-teaching staff in Nigeria’s public universities are protesting the non-payment of salaries that were withheld during their 2022 strike action.
The dispute centers around five and a half months of salaries that were withheld under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Although President Bola Tinubu ordered the payment of four months’ worth of salaries to university staff, reports indicate that only the teaching staff received their payments in February, leaving the non-teaching staff uncompensated.
The situation led to a warning strike by the non-teaching staff two weeks ago, aiming to pressure the government into fulfilling their payment demands.
According to the National President of NAAT, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, the House of Representatives has intervened in the matter, signalling political attention to the ongoing financial dispute.
He said, “We were invited last Wednesday by the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education, representatives of the National Universities Commission NUC, the Committee of Vice Chancellors, and others were there. Before our three-day warning strike, members gave the mandate that we should go on a full-blown strike.
“However, the committee pleaded with us that we should hold on. That they are now on recess and could do little. They pleaded that we give them the opportunity to reconvene after the recess and they would wade into the matter fully. In view of this, we want to give them the benefit of doubt and see what we happen between now and the end of April.”
The National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, said, “Our members went on strike in March 2022 and it was over the refusal of the government to fulfill the 2009 Agreement we had with the government. The agreement was to be renegotiated every three years but that was not done. Over 15 years now, what we have been having is taking a step forward and taking two backwards. Government keeps tossing us from one committee to another.
“They are owing us five and a half months from that strike action, but they paid teaching staff four months withheld salaries and forgot others. The same attitude is what obtains when you have Earned Allowance to be paid. Some people would just arrogate to themselves the power to take whatever they like from the money and leave the crumbs for others.
