THE NATIONWIDE protest by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), on Tuesday grounded activities in several campuses of tertiary institutions across the country.
The unions embarked on the protest to demand for the payment of four months of withheld salaries of their members.
At the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi (FUBK), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest by both unions over the non-payment of their salary arrears by the federal government completely shut down the university on Tuesday.
Malam Aliyu Turaki, the state Chairman of SSANU, told newsmen that their protest was in line with the directive of their national bodies.
“We are shutting down the university; and we are protesting to show our grievances over the salary arrears owed our members by the Federal Government.
“This is just the beginning as the unions will appraise the impact of the strike by next week, Thursday.
“On July 18, we will be doing the national protest in Abuja and if nothing is done, we will get back to the table.
“The two unions will provide the next line of action,” he said.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor of FUBK, Prof. Muhammad Zaiyanu-Umar, expressed happiness over the peaceful conduct of the protest.
He acknowledged that the strike was a directive from the national bodies and not from the state council.
“I am fully aware that members of the unions are facing challenges and hardship over the unpaid salary arrears owed to them,” he said.
Zaiyanu-Umar commended the mutual understanding existing between the unions and management of the university, urging them to maintain the tempo.
AE-FUNAI
At the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufo-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) in Ebonyi State, the unions, during their protest on Tuesday, also said there was need to upgrade infrastructure in the university as education was pertinent to nation building.
The protesters matched from the university campus to the main gate with placards with different inscriptions.
Some of the inscriptions read: “FG, pay us our four months withheld salaries,” “FG, increase our salaries,” “There is need to prioritise university workers wellbeing,” “FG, stop playing with the minimum wage,” “We will not agree until our four months withheld salaries are paid.”
Mr Onyebuchi Mpamugo, Chairman of SSANU in the university, said that the immediate payment of the four months withheld salaries became necessary in order to avoid shutting down the nation’s universities.
Mpamugo said that the protest was to draw the attention of relevant stakeholders as well as that of the federal and state governments on the matter of welfare of workers in the universities.
“We gathered here today to tell the whole world about our plight; we are begging the Federal Government to kindly pay us our four months withheld salaries.
“We are calling on the Minister of Education and Minister of Labour and Employment to assist us because we will no longer tolerate industrial harmony,” he added.
Mr Chibuike Igwe, NASU Chairman, called for unity among members, expressing hope that “freedom comes only by struggle.”
He urged the Federal Government to urgently pay the four months withheld salaries of the unions to address the hardship being faced their members.
“Look at the economy in the country; food stuff skyrocketed; house rent as well children school fees.
“This is our money and Federal Government should pay us; we are going to converge on Abuja for national protest on July 18 and after that, our next action will total lockdown of universities,” Igwe said. (NAN)
FULafia
At the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Comrade Daniel Dajen, Chairman of SSANU, said during the protest that the action followed a directive from its national leadership.
He said that the protest became inevitable due to the lack of commitment by the federal government to their withheld salaries, which were long overdue.
Dajen explained that the unions had been in a series of meetings with representatives of the federal government on the need to meet their demands, including the payment of their four months withheld salaries but to no avail.
He noted that university workers, especially the non-academic and senior staff had exhibited high sense of patience and understanding to ensure amicable resolution in spite of the economic hardship they had been subjected to due to non-payment of their salaries.
He called on the federal government to begin payment of their withheld salaries immediately to avert further industrial harmony in all campuses of public universities across the country.
The university workers, who converged on the sports complex of the institution, marched through all the facilities carrying leaves and placards with different inscriptions. (NAN)
UNILAG College Of Medicine
Members of the two unions at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), also on Tuesday, joined the protest over withheld salaries.
Comrade Tunde Aderibigbe, a National Executive Council (NEC) member of NASU, said that the members of the unions were unhappy that their four months salaries were still being withheld despite many appeals to the federal government.
He also said the workers also staged the protest because some of the agreements the government signed with the two unions had not been fulfilled.
“We entered into so many agreements with President Muhammadu Buhari administration, including the issue of earned allowances, which are yet to be attended to.
“The one that is really disturbing the minds of our members is that all the four unions in the universities embarked on strike in 2022, and at the end of the day, our (NASU/SSANU) salaries were withheld.
“We signed an agreement that after the strike, no member of our unions will be intimidated or victimised, but we were surprised that our salaries were withheld.
“We felt that was intimidation and victimisation, we did not take them to court, our sister union did, and at the end of the day, they were paid after the presidential pardon, which covers all the four unions,” he said.
Aderibigbe, also a staff member of CMUL, said the protest was to call on government to release their salaries without delay.
Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), said that they staged the protest to make the government aware of what he called the injustice being done to them.
Ibrahim said that government should be run with truth, conscience, lamenting that the many agreements the union had with government had not been fulfilled.
He said by not honouring the agreements, government had displayed insensitivity towards the plight of members of the unions.
The chairman said that it was wrong not to pay SSANU and NASU out of the four unions that went on strike.
According to him, members of the two unions feel cheated about the withheld salaries.
Ibrahim who noted that members of the unions were important to the running of universities, urged the government to release the salaries without delay.
He appealed to the Minister of Education to table their demands before the President, for action.
Mr Bukayo Ayantoye, Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), said that the withheld four months salaries had lost value owing to inflation.
“A lot of people even took loans with interest due to our unpaid salaries, because it is not possible to survive without a month salary not to talk of four months.
“To us, we see it as victimisation, especially as members of sister unions, who went on strike with us were paid.
“We feel cheated and want to believe they are treating us this way because they consider us irrelevant,” he said. (NAN)
Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry
The Nigeria French Language Village, Badagry, Lagos State chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), on Tuesday staged a protest against non-payment of withheld salaries by the federal government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters carried placards with different inscriptions such as, “Pay us our arrears of 25 to 35 per cent salary increment now”; “Pay us our withheld salaries as approved by our President”.
Others are: “Pay us all salaries arrears now”; “We are not slaves, we are not second class citizens”;
“Pay us our sweat, it is earned”; “Protesting for our rights”.
Addressing the protesters and newsmen, Mr Hammed Oladapo, SSANU Chairman, called on the government to act swiftly and meet the union’s demands.
According to him, the peaceful protest by SSANU members marked the beginning of a series of actions planned to pressure the government into addressing their concerns.
He said that the government had refused to fulfil the agreement with the union on the payment of their withheld salaries and other allowances.
Oladapo said, “SSANU members have not received four months withheld salaries and promotion arrears from 2019 to date.
“Also, outstanding arrears of the 25/ 35 per cent salary increment with effect from January to December 2023 have not been paid.
Oladapo urged the government to renegotiate the 2009 FGN/SSANU agreement.
He said the union demanded for the reconstitution of the governing council of the inter-university centres.
He also called for the release and payment of their earned allowance of N50 billion as passed with 2023 budget.
He also emphasised the need for better funding for universities and inter-university centres. According to him, the union has been agitating for these for a long time. “Our demands are very clear.”
Oladapo said that the union would stage another protest in Abuja on July 18, if the demands were not met.
NAN reports that the union members returned to their duty post shortly after the peaceful protest. (NAN)
