The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have announced an indefinite strike across public university campuses in Nigeria to demand the release of their withheld salaries.
The two unions, in a statement co-signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, expressed frustration over the government’s inaction despite multiple ultimatums.
Effective Monday, October 28, 2024, union members in all public universities and inter-university centers nationwide are instructed to hold a joint congress and proceed on a full-scale strike, with no room for concessions. The unions had previously issued a three-week ultimatum in September 2023, demanding the payment of withheld salaries dating back to an eight-month strike in 2022. During this earlier strike, administrative operations, including access to hostels and varsity gates, were severely disrupted.
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The unions accuse the Federal Government of unfair treatment, highlighting that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received partial payment for their withheld salaries last October, while SSANU and NASU members have yet to receive any payments. Former Education Minister Tahir Mamman cited a “communication problem” as the reason for the delay in April and indicated that non-academic staff would receive half of their withheld salaries, though this has yet to materialize.
The unions have called the delay discriminatory and are now escalating their demands, aiming to pressure the government into meeting their requests.
