JUST IN: Ground varsities, SSANU, NASU Launch Strike

Due to allegations of unfair treatment and discrepancies in salary payments by the Federal Government, members of the Non-Academic Staff Union and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities launched a statewide strike today, Monday.

Unions across the nation issued a threat last Monday, March 18, 2024, threatening to close dorms and cut off electricity to universities if the federal government did not acquiesce to their demands.

The SSANU National President, Muhammad Ibrahim, stated that the organization’s members, who include bursars, registrars, and vice chancellors, have not received their 2022 arrears.

Ibrahim told The PUNCH on Sunday that the two unions were planning to go on a national strike.

Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, said he was not aware of the planned strike by SSANU/NASU.

However, Ibrahim announced that the strike had begun on Channels Television’s Morning Show.

“The strike has unquestionably already begun.

“Today (Monday), all of our employees in the areas of registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and student affairs have resigned from their positions. Until and unless the necessary actions are taken, nothing will change in the administration of any public university in Nigeria for the next seven days,” he declared.

The president of SSANU emphasized that no official government representative has contacted non-academic unions, although some have done so informally; however, their promises cannot be trusted.

He questioned why certain public servants would not completely carry out President Bola Tinubu’s directive to settle 2022 arrears.

The Minister of Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, he said, had given the unions a seven-day notice last Monday, but had not been in touch with them.

He claimed that this was a change from the former labor minister Chris Ngige’s responsiveness.

He emphasized that following today’s start of the seven-day warning strike, if the government did not respond to the unions’ requests, the unions will return to their toolbox and determine what to do next.