Withheld salaries: SSANU, NASU cripple varsities activities

NON-teaching staff has crippled activities in the nation's universities, especially those owned by the federal government, over the non-payment of four and a half months salaries withheld by the government.

Some of the affected institutions included University of Lagos, UNILAG, the Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, Lagos State, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, CMUL, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU,  Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufo-Alike Ikwo, AE-FUNAI,  in Ebony,  Federal University Lokoja, FUL, Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, University of Ilorin,  UNILORIN, Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, and Federal University of Lafia, FULafia.

At the UNILAG, the protesting workers, under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions, NASU led by their leaders, marched from the Senate Building to the main gate of the institution, chanting various solidarity songs and clutching placards with different inscriptions.

Speaking with Journalists, the Vice President, West, SSANU, Dr. Abdussobur Salaam,  said the next stage of the protest would be picketing some government offices in Abuja, suspected to be involved in holding tight to their salaries, saying "In 2009, we had an agreement with the federal government and it is to be re-negotiated every two years. That has not happened since and out of the about 20 items contained in the agreement, the government has barely fulfilled five. They have set up numerous committees, the Babalakin Committee, Prof. Briggs Committee among others, but nothing has come out of them 

"In 2022, we had to go on strike because of the insensitivity of the government. We suspended the strike and part of the agreement for suspending the strike was that no worker be victimized. Surprisingly, our academic counterparts, who even went on strike before us, and for a longer period, were paid part of their withheld salaries and nothing was given us.

"We met the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, who said that he would address the issue. Still nothing has been done. Last Thursday, we met the Minister again and he said he has submitted a memo to the Presidency since last March on our issue and that it has not been brought to the attention of President Bola Tinubu. That claim is unbelievable to us. 

"Next week, we are going to take our protest to Abuja and picket government offices involved in the non-payment of our salaries. Our members from across the country will be part of the protest. After that, if nothing is done, it is sure that the next line of action will be total and indefinite strike. "

On the level of success of the protest, Salaam said feedbacks from across the country indicated it went well.

"We have reports from the University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Benin among others, it was a success. The issues affect everybody and we must fight it to a logical conclusion," he added.

In a related development, the National President of the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, told our correspondent on phone that his union has given the government till the end of the month to answer them.

"We are still talking with the government on the issue and we have given them the grace to do the needful by the end of the month. At the end of the month, our National Executive Committee, NEC, will meet and after that we know what to do, " he said.