Universities staff have commenced a nationwide strike under the directive of members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU)
The unions are protesting what they call “unfair treatment and disparity” in the payment of withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
“Definitely, it (the strike) has already started,” SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said on Channels TV.
Ibrahim stated that all its workers, including those in registry, bursary, maintenance, security, and student affairs, have withdrawn their services.
“Nothing moves within the administration of any public university in Nigeria,” he declared.
“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.”
He also lamented the lack of communication from the government, noting that despite issuing a seven-day notice last week, no official representative has reached out to the union.
Ibrahim expressed suspicion of “saboteurs” within the government, questioning why President Bola Tinubu’s directive to pay outstanding 2022 salaries has not been fully implemented.
He also criticized the current Labour Minister, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, for failing to engage with the unions.
The strike comes after SSANU and NASU threatened last week to shut down university hostels and cut power supplies if their demands remained unmet.
The unions claim that withheld salaries are owed not only to regular staff but also to high-ranking officials like Vice Chancellors, registrars, and bursars.
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