The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has launched a seven-day warning strike beginning March 18.
The looming strike is the result of the Federal Government’s inability to pay members’ four-month withholding salaries.
President Bola Tinubu has decided that public university staff who participated in a lengthy strike in 2022 but were not paid by the previous administration of Muhammadu Buhari be compensated for four months.
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation made payment to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in accordance with orders from the president. However, the three unions representing non-teaching workers have yet to receive their payouts.
SSANU authorised a seven-day strike action during their 47th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, in protest of the government’s failure to pay its members on time.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, said: “What played out at today’s meeting clearly is that members have unanimously resolved they will not accept this injustice meted on us because there is no explanation that can scientifically or naturally be given to anyone as to why one group of our staff is paid and then the other three groups are not.
“Therefore, we have given the next one week where members will go back to their branches and sensitise our members. This time around, it is going to be a total strike. For seven days, there will be no water, no electricity, no medicals, no office work. Everybody will leave his office work until for seven days.
“However, we are hopeful, we are prayerful that the government listens and then does the needful because we also know we have a responsibility for society, for the university and for our students. So, nobody should blame us if this thing happens, because we have given enough notice, we have made enough sensitisation and we have contacted enough stakeholders.
“So it is going to be total, it is going to be total blackout in our campuses all through Nigeria during the seven days until when that money is paid.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
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