Universities across the country, especially those owned by the federal government, were on Monday shut down by non-academic staff under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU. This followed the decision of the national leaders of the two unions that their members should start an indefinite industrial action as a result of the failure of the government to pay them four months of their salaries that were withheld following the 2022 strike by university workers. The Branch Chairman of SSANU, the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Comrade Olugbenga Adenaiya, said that the development was in line with the directive from their national leaders. “This morning, we held a congress where our members decided to follow the directive of the national leadership. It was unanimously agreed that the strike will be total and indefinite. We cannot be treated like slaves in our country. Remember that we went on strike early this year and it was suspended because the government promised to pay us the withheld salaries, but that has not been the case.
“It is just a matter of continuing the strike we suspended the other time. All offices and essential services provided by SSANU and NASU members have been put on hold until further notice,” he said. The development came on the day the university was supposed to start academic activities for the 2024/2025 academic session. Probably in anticipation of this, the management of the university had earlier said lectures would run online for some weeks.
Speaking on the issue Chairman SSANU, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Ondo State, Comrade Felix Adubi, said that the non-teaching staff in the institution have heeded the call to go on strike. “We held our congress this morning and it was resolved that we go on strike as directed by our national body. The government cannot say we have not tried enough. We went on strike, just like the teaching staff also did and you have paid some of the withheld salaries of academic staff and what about us? The saying is that what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander. We won’t budge until our demands are met. The government is yet to address some issues raised in our earlier interactions with them, then this discriminatory stance of petting some people and treating others as inconsequential. We are not going to take it easy with them,” he said.
Members of SSANU and NASU at the University of Abuja were on duty and going about their normal activities on Monday despite the nationwide strike declared by the unions’ national bodies.
The two bodies had on Sunday called on members to begin indefinite nationwide strike within campuses of public universities to demand the immediate release of their four months’ withheld salaries. In a statement co-signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, the two unions said it was appalling that despite several ultimatums issued to the government, no positive result has come in. To this end, they directed their members in all public universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to “hold a joint congress in their respective campuses on Monday, October 28, 2024, and proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike action as no concession should be given in any guise”.
