- By Femi Alabi
Activities in the Nigeria’s ivory towers of learning might be heading to a halt as the the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have begun a nationwide strike over what they described as unfair treatment and disparity in the payment of withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim said the strike has already started,
Ibrahim while speaking on a TV Programme on Channels Television’s on Monday revealed that all their members in registry, bursary, works and maintenance, secruity, students’ affairs have withdrawn their services.
He stated that nothing is going to move 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.”
He lamented that no government representative has reached out to the non-academic unions and though some have reached out unofficially, their assurances cannot be taken to the bank.
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”
He 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 to the responsiveness of the ex-Labour Minister Chris Ngige
Ibrahim held that, 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.