ACADEMIC activities were on Monday disrupted in University of Abuja, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria and Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola as the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) commenced a seven-day warning strike.
At UNIABUJA, the protesting workers blocked the entrance to the university, preventing students and others from going inside.
Comrade Nureden Yusuf, SSANU branch chairperson, while addressing newsmen said the strike was to protest their four months withheld salaries.
According to Yusuf, the unions embarked on the warning strike to draw the attention of the government to their grievances.
“You may recall that one of the contentious issues why we went on strike in 2022 was that of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. That agreement ought to be renegotiated every three years and now we are in 2024, that is fourteen years after the last agreement, it is yet to be renegotiated.
“Also, we are talking about withheld salaries which President Bola Tinubu in October 2023 gracefully agreed that it should be paid to us.
“Our counterparts in Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had been paid their four months salaries, but, we are yet to receive our salaries.
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“NASU and SSANU are unions of professionals. We oil the wheel of the university system,” he said.
According to Yusuf, apart from teaching, there were other activities carried out by SSANU and NASU members in the university system.
Yusuf said that the unions would be shutting down all essential services including security unit, healthcare services, water supply, transportation unit, electricity.
Also, Comrade (Mrs) Sadiya Hassan, chairperson of NASU, University of Abuja branch, said that it was imperative that the federal government paid the four months withheld salaries to the unions’ members.
According to her, it was discriminatory and unacceptable for NASU and SSANU to be left out in the payment of the four months withheld salaries.
“We are professionals in our different fields that we chose to be in the non-teaching sector,” she said and urged the federal government to do the needful for the workers to return to their duty posts. (NAN)
ABU, Zaria
Similarly, the strike grounded academic activities at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who monitored the strike reports that theatres, lecture halls, libraries and laboratories were under lock and key at Samaru and Kongo campuses of the university.
Power supply and internet services had been off as many slated computer-based tests were cancelled at the university.
Comrade Mohammed Yunusa, chairperson of ABU chapter of SSANU, said the union complied with industrial action in the university.
He said that workers at the Works, Registry and Student Affairs and Bursary departments had down tools, adding that it achieved 90 per cent compliance.
Comrade Yunusa said that members of the union would hold a peaceful protest and a press conference on Tuesday.
“We are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities; we are the custodians of the universities rules, we are law-abiding citizens and we know what it takes to have a peaceful warning strike.
“We have gotten to a point where we cannot sit and watch things as these events are unfolding now. The university system is being run with contributions from all major stakeholders.
“Therefore, it is very unfair for the federal government to say one stakeholder is more important than the other,” he said
NAN reports that the leadership of the unions directed its members to embark on a warning strike from March 18.
It said that the action is in fulfilment of the earlier ultimatum issued to the government over the unpaid withheld salaries of their members.
Meanwhile, the seven-day warning strike by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), also paralysed academic activities at the Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola.
Mr Michael Omokoro, the Chairman of the union, said the action was to press home for their demands including payment of four months withheld salaries, among others.
He said the shutdown would affect water supply, electricity, internet and all other services rendered by members of the association.
“Basically, it is about our four months withheld salaries, the 35 per cent wage increment, the N35,000 palliative that stopped at January, the reconstitution of Governing Councils, etc. “During the seven days, there will be no light, water supply, clinic, ICT and all other services because we have withdrawn our members,” Omokoro said. (NAN)
