The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities and Allied Institutions, NASU will commence a nationwide industrial action today in protest of their withheld four months’ salary by the federal government. The National President of SSANU, Muhammed Ibrahim, revealed these yesterday that the two unions were set for their nationwide strike date. However, the Minister for Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, claimed he was not unaware of SSANU/NASU’s planned strike.
According to the Minister, “I am not aware of any planned strike. But I know the matter is receiving attention at the highest level of govt. I will get across to them.”
In an effort of implementing the no-work, no-pay policy, during the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the unions had their salaries withheld following a prolonged strike by universities in 2021.
The Federal Government had last month of February released four-month out of the withheld salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU while ignoring SSANU and NASU.
In protest, the duo in a several letters, demanded that their withheld salaries be equally released while gave the Federal Government an ultimatum with a threat to embark on a nationwide strike failure by the authorities to act fast.
The SSANU leader disclosed yesterday that “The Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU has inundated the Federal Government with the need to pay the withheld four-month salaries of our members in the federal universities and inter-university centres as done for our academic counterpart to no avail
According to Ibrahim, “As a matter of fact, the attention of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, and Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, the Honourable Minister of Education, was called to this injustice and unfair treatment of our members in our letter referenced JAC/NS/VOL.I/277 and dated 13th February 2024. We called on them to resolve the issue positively before it leads to an unnecessary upheaval in our university sector.
“In a similar vein, a press release was issued on 1st March 2024 and the Federal Government was given a seven-day ultimatum to do the needful in respect of the payment of the withheld four months’ salaries but nothing was done on the matter.
“Having waited patiently for the ultimatum to expire without any positive response from the government, this is to direct our members in the universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to commence a seven-day warning strike effective Monday, 18th March 2024 in the first instance.”
In another confirmation by the SSANU Vice president, Abdussobur Salaam, the Federal Government had continue to keep mum despite receiving all the correspondence from its union concerning their withheld salaries.
Salaam said, “We have not heard anything from the government; they are not saying anything about payment of the salaries, no promises, no negotiation. We are not saying they should pay everything at once, at least they should show commitment, talk to us, and tell us when we should expect the payment, but nothing from them, they have been silent even after our warning strike press statement, still, nothing.”