Breaking: SSANU/NASU Begin Nationwide Strike On Monday March 18

The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have directed their members across university and inter-university centre campuses nationwide to withdraw services beginning from Monday, 18 March.

The seven-day industrial action, according to a memo addressed to the branches of the unions and dated Friday, 15 March, is in fulfilment of the earlier threat and ultimatum issued to the Nigerian government by the unions over the unpaid/withheld salaries of their members.

The memo, issued by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU, and signed by the National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, urged the branch leaders to ensure total compliance to the directive.

JAC has blamed the Nigerian government for allowing the matter to degenerate, querying the justification for the payment of the withheld salaries of the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) but decided to leave out their members.

The memo in part: “Please note that the 7-day warning strike should be comprehensive and total as no concession should be given in any guise.

“Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive is mandatory for all NASU and SSANU branches in the Universities and Inter-University Centres.”

Meanwhile, you will recall in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu announced that his government would pay four months of the withheld salaries to members of ASUU. The announcement instantly raised concerns over the fate of the members of the other unions.

The National Vice President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, told journalists that the directive appeared to be selective in favour of a single union out of others whose members’ salaries were withheld.

“The directive appears to be misdirected because all university unions went on strike last year and not ASUU alone. To that extent, that directive cannot be selective in favour of a single union but can only be general,” Mr Salaam said in October.

However, some days ago, the Nigerian government paid four months of the more than seven months’ salaries of the academics, leaving out the non-academic staff.

Following this development, SSANU described government action as deliberate neglect of their members to pay their withheld salaries, and the alleged refusal to acknowledge their various letters addressed to the government through the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, both SSANU and NASU threatened to down tools.

Earlier on 1 March, reported a joint statement issued by the two unions, urging the government to consider their case by paying their members.

In its latest action, JAC on Friday directed the unions’ members nationwide to commence the seven-day industrial action, blaming the government for ignoring their appeals.

The memo addressed to all branch chairpersons of SSANU and NASU reads in part: “The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU has inundated the Federal Government with the need to pay the withheld four months’ salaries of our members in the federal universities and inter-university centres as done for our academic counterparts to no avail.

“As a matter of fact, the attention of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, and Prof. Tahir Mamman, SAN, OON, the Honourable Minister of Education, were called to this injustice and unfair treatment of our members in our letter referenced JAC/NS/VOL.II/277 dated 13th February, 2024 and to also inform them to resolve the issue positively before it leads to 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 4 months’ salaries but nothing was done on the same.”

“This is to direct our members in the universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to commence a 7-day warning strike effective Monday, 18th March 2024 in the first instance.”