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Ikenna Ngere
Guest
The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have reported a lack of formal communication from the government regarding their current strike.
Naija News reports that SSANU and NASU began an indefinite strike on Monday, protesting four months of unpaid salaries, which has brought university activities nationwide to a standstill.
Speaking to PUNCH Online on Tuesday night, SSANU’s National Vice-President, Abdussobur Salaam, stated, “There’s no update on the ongoing strike; it continues. Some informal contacts were made between the minister of state for education and our union executives, but there’s been no real progress, just an informal appeal.”
Salaam highlighted the government’s unfulfilled promises, noting that all union-issued ultimatums had lapsed without any payment.
“This issue has persisted for a long time, with repeated promises that have not been fulfilled. All our ultimatums have expired, and we still haven’t received any payments.
“The recent invitation was merely an informal call on the phone. We urge the authorities to take decisive action; we have come too far and can no longer accept empty promises. If we don’t receive our payments, we won’t back down,” he added.
A statement by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Prince Peters Adeyemi, released Sunday, verified that the final ultimatum to the Federal Government for withheld salaries expired at midnight.
The unions have demanded payment of these salaries, along with improved allowances, earned benefits, and the full implementation of a 2009 agreement with the government.
The Federal Government had previously enforced a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy in response to union strikes, including the prolonged strike in 2022 involving four university-based unions.
The unions issued a seven-day warning for payment of the outstanding salaries and implementation of the August 20, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding, which officially expired on October 27, 2024.
In July 2024, during a National Peaceful Protest at Abuja’s Unity Fountain, the unions issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government, warning of a complete shutdown of university activities if their demands were not met. However, no substantial response has been received to date.
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