Hardship: SSANU, NASU Begin Strike Today, Ground Varsities

The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have initiated a statewide walkout due to what they deem to be unfair treatment and inequity in the Federal Government’s payment of delayed salary.

 “Definitely, it (the strike) has already started,” SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, declared on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme on Monday.

“As of today (Monday), all our workers in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, security, and students’ affairs have withdrawn their services and nothing moves within the administration of any public university in Nigeria and that will be the case for the next seven days until and unless the needful is done.”

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He bemoaned the fact that no official government representative had contacted any of the non-academic unions, and that even those who had made informal contact could not be relied upon.

Ibrahim sensed some “saboteurs in his government” and wondered why President Bola Tinubu would give an instruction that members of varsity unions be paid 2022 arrears and some government officials won’t fully comply.

The SSANU President said the Labour Minister, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, has not reached out to the aggrieved unions despite that a seven-day notice was issued last Monday, a development he said was a departure from the responsiveness of the ex-Labour minister, Chris Ngige.

Ibrahim said should the government fail to heed the demands of the unions after the seven-day warning strike which commenced today, SSANU and NASU would go back to their toolbox and decide the next line of action.