The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has cited the Federal Government’s failure to address unpaid salaries, stalled negotiations and unfulfilled promises as the reasons for a nationwide strike that began today.
Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU President, announced on Monday during an interview on the Channels Television News Track programme that, despite numerous efforts to engage with the government, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) were “pushed to the wall” by delayed actions on critical agreements, including salary payments, earned allowances and the implementation of the 2009 agreements.
Ibrahim recounted that SSANU and NASU had staged multiple protests, notably on July 17 in Abuja, and later raised the salary issue with the President through the Nigeria Labour Congress.
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“At that meeting, the president directed that 50% of the withheld salaries be paid. But three months have passed, and the promise remains unfulfilled. We also had meetings with the ministers of education, who assured us that the salaries would be paid, but nothing has changed,” he said.
Ibrahim said that SSANU and NASU members were running out of patience and convened meetings across branches which led to the strike.
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“Our members were told to remain patient, but we have now reached the breaking point. All activities — bursary, registry, works and maintenance, security, and student affairs — are suspended until payments are made,” he said.
“The former minister of education made overtures to us before leaving office. This morning, I received a call from the minister-designate requesting a meeting. However, the strike is a process, and we must meet as union leaders before making any decisions. If the government makes the payments today, the strike will be called off immediately since salaries are paid via electronic transfer.”
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