The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities and Allied Institutions are set to begin a nationwide strike today, Monday, due to four months of unpaid salaries. Muhammed Ibrahim, the president of SSANU, declared on Sunday, “The two unions are set for their nationwide strike.” In contrast, Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, expressed his lack of awareness about the strike, stating, “I am not aware of any planned strike. But I know the matter is receiving attention at the highest level of govt. I will get across to them.”
Following a strike in 2021, the government withheld salaries under a no-work, no-pay policy. Though it released four months’ worth of withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities in February, SSANU and NASU were not included. The unions demanded their unpaid salaries and threatened to strike if their demands were not met.
Ibrahim highlighted their efforts to resolve the issue, “The Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU has inundated the Federal Government with the need to pay the withheld four-month salaries. As a matter of fact, the attention of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, and Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Honourable Minister of Education, was called to this injustice. We called on them to resolve the issue positively before it leads to an unnecessary upheaval in our university sector.”
Despite giving the government a seven-day ultimatum, “nothing was done on the matter,” leading to the decision to “commence a seven-day warning strike effective Monday, 18th March 2024 in the first instance.”
SSANU National Vice-President, Abdussobur Salaam, also voiced frustration, saying, “We have not heard anything from the government; they are not saying anything about payment of the salaries, no promises, no negotiation, at least they should show commitment, talk to us, and tell us when we should expect the payment, but nothing from them, they have been silent even after our warning strike press statement, still, nothing.”
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