…Accuse FG of unfair treatment, discrimination, demand 23.5% Increment
…Save the workers from poverty and hunger – Protesters tell FG
…ATBU Chapter demand sack of Labour, Education Ministers
…Condemn FG’s insensitivity over 4-month withheld salary
By Our Correspondents
A wave of protests swept across several states in Nigeria, including Lagos, Ogun, and Osun, as members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) took to the streets to decry the non-release of their withheld four-month salaries by the Federal Government.
The protests, which were peaceful but fervent, saw the union members accusing the government of unfair treatment and discrimination, as they demanded immediate payment of their salaries.
Lagos
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of the University of Lagos branch in Akoka staged a peaceful protest on campus on Tuesday.
The protest was a sequel to a directive from the national bodies of the two unions under the aegis of the Joint Action Committee (JJAC) directing all members nationwide to stage a one-day protest over the non-release of their withheld four-month salaries by the Federal Government.
Led by their leaders, the protesting workers converged at the University Senate Building area, from where they marched down to the main gate, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards bearing different inscriptions, including “FG release our withheld four-month salaries,” “We’re tired of suffering and smiling,” and so forth.
National Vice President of SSANU, Dr. Abdussobur Salaam, lamented that despite previous appeals and a warning strike several months ago, the Federal Government did not show serious concern for the unions’ demands. “Most of the issues in contention date back to 2009, when the government signed an agreement with them, and up until now, only a few have been attended to in an unsatisfactory manner,” he said.
“It is unfortunate on the part of the government, which has shown a lack of sensitivity to the plight of workers,” Dr. Salaam added. “It is even unheard of that the same withheld four-month salaries since 2022, which is the most pressing issue for them at the moment, had been paid to members of other sister unions in the same system. This action is discriminatory.”
The Chairman of the NASU branch of the university, Yinka Abiodun, accused the federal government of marginalising their members on matters concerning the general staff of the universities, condemning the practice in its entirety.
Acting chairman of the SAANU branch, Gbenga Adenaiya said, “We are not willing to withdraw our services from the university, but we may be compelled to do so if the government fails to pay us our withheld salaries.”
The protesters vowed to take their agitation to the next level, picketing government offices in Abuja suspected of being involved in holding tight to their salaries, if their demands are not met.
Ogun
Also, members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institution, NASU, of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest.
The protesters marched from the Secretariat of the unions to the Senate building on the campus with placards carrying inscriptions such as, “Let the federal university breathe”, “We are workers and not slaves, the union is our rights”, “Tinubu pay our 4 months’ salary”, “Monkey dey work, baboon dey chop”, “Save the workers from poverty and hunger”, “FG pay us our Earned Allowance”, and “FG don’t suffocate us.”
The protest led by the NASU chairman, Samson Edivri, alongside Rotimi Fasunwon, the SSANU Chairman, said the demonstration followed the federal government’s failure to pay their four months withheld salaries and earned allowance among others.
They explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, last February, promised his administration’s commitment to meeting the demands of SSANU.
Speaking to newsmen, Ediviri explained that the protest is to urge President Bola Tinubu to honour their agreements and pay the withheld four months’ salary.
“We are using this protest to call on the Nigeria University Commission, NUC, the Minister of Education, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure that all our agreements are honoured and our four months’ salary arrears should be paid.
“Non-academic workers are key to the running of universities and we don’t deserve this treatment. We recently lost a member at FUNAAB and many of us are just managing to survive.
“The struggle is for the benefit of all workers of the varsity and this protest as directed by the national bodies of SSANU and NASU, is to demand the payment of our four months withheld salaries, earned allowances, and 23.5% salary increment for non-academic staff of universities,” Ediviri stated.
The SSANU Chairman, Fasunwon, chastised the FG for failing to carry out the 2009 agreement’s provisions regarding the Memoranda of Action, which include the payment of earned allowances and a 23.5 percent wage increase for non-academic staff.
He added that a mega rally will be staged at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, in Abuja by the joint action committee of both unions on July 18, 2024.
Addressing the protesters, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olusola Kehinde praised the union leadership for planning a nonviolent demonstration to highlight their demands.
He assured them that their rights would never be withheld by the university administration saying, “Your welfare will continue to be paramount to us” in addition to the university’s support for the rightful struggle of nonacademic workers.
Oyo
Also, The Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU), University of Ibadan chapter, staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday, blocking the busy UI-Sango road for almost an hour and disrupting vehicular movement.
The protesters, led by NASU Chairman Oluwafemi Michael Ogunlade and SSANU Chairman Abiodun Rasaq Omisore, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Federal Government should honour 2009 agreement made with the Union” and “SSANU demands 4 months withheld salary.”
Speaking during the protest, Ogunlade said, “You know in the Federal Universities, we have a non-teaching union, we have a teaching union. NASU, SSANU, and ASUU. ASUU are the lecturers while NASU and SSANU are non-teaching staff.”
He continued, “But what we discovered was that the Federal Government paid ASUU. I don’t have anything against ASUU. We are all working here (UI). But our grievances are against the government because it is not ASUU that paid themselves, it is the Federal Government that paid them.”
Ogunlade further stated, “We embarked on the same strike and we even suspended our strike before then. Our strike was four months while their strike was eight months. If they fail to honour this agreement, we will go to Abuja on July 18, 2024, for a national protest.”
Corroborating Ogunlade’s statement, Omisore said, “We are promised by the government having followed due process, but the government failed to honour the agreement. So, by July 18, 2024, we will move to Abuja for a national strike.”
The protest was peaceful, with the union members chanting solidarity songs and displaying their placards to passing vehicles. The union leaders vowed to continue the protest until their demands are met by the Federal Government.
Bauchi
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, have called for the immediate sack of the Ministers of Education and that of Labour and Productivity.
The Unions under the Joint Action Committee said that the two Ministers have failed in their responsibility of addressing the plight of the two unions.
The Unions made the demand during a peaceful protest they staged at the Yelwa Campus of the ATBU, on Tuesday.
The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, marched through major roads within the campus singing, dancing and chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: “Ministers of Labour and Education should be sacked,” “Tinubu, pay us our wage awards,” “pay us our four months arrears of withheld salaries and other allowances” and “SSANU says: Tax the rich, subsidise the poor.”
Others are: “SSANU says enough of hardship,” “Pay SSANU, NASU withheld salaries,” JAC of SSANU and NASU says no to divide and rule,” “End insecurity, create jobs and economic prosperity,” “Pay us our N50 billion Earned Allowances now,” among others.
Speaking in an interview with journalists during the protest, the JAC Chairman, Sulisma Jatau, said their demand for the sack of the Ministers of Education and that of Labour and Productivity, was because they have not kept their word during several meetings held with their unions.
Jatau who is also the SSANU Chairman, demanded for the payment of their four months salary arrears vowing that they will not rest on their struggles until their demands are met.
“This protest is geared towards making the government pay us our salaries. They must pay our withheld salaries, they must pay our earned allowances, they must pay all our entitlements, and the 2009 agreement must be respected.
“The Minister of Labour and the Minister of Education must be sacked. We demand for their sack because they promised us more than 10 times now and we have not seen the light of the day, so they must be jokers.
“As Honourable Ministers, they are supposed to be honourable in their own actions and if they are not, they should be sacked and those competent should be appointed to head those places,” he said.
The JAC Chairman described the administration of President Bola Tinubu as a “failure” because it has not met with the expectations of Nigerians neither has it fulfilled its campaign promises made.
He said, “Tinubu’s government is a failure. We have given him time enough. He promised that he was coming in to fix the nation. He has been there longing to govern this country and with what he is doing, it means he never had plans in how to govern this country.
“Hardship in the country is too much, suffering is too much. We are suffering, people are dying. They have money to buy private jets, they have money to build a house for the Vice President when people are dying of hunger.
“Our entitlements should be paid to us. That is all, we are tired of empty promises. You can see all of us, we are looking haggard, we are not happy and this time around, we are serious and we won’t take it lightly. He has failed, that’s all.
“If they don’t pay us, by next week, we are going to hold Nigerian universities to ransom. We will make sure all universities are closed, the universities will remain closed until all our demands are met, they must pay us. No going back on our demands.”
Osun
In the same vein, The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and Joint Action Congress (JAC), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) branch, have protested and threatened nationwide indefinite strike over withheld four-month salary.
The Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU), Dr Taiwo Arobadi, made this known during their peaceful protest at OAU Campus, on Tuesday, in Ile-Ife.
Arobadi said that they embarked on protest because the Federal Government refused to pay their four month withheld salary even though the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman is promising.
He added that during the last meeting of SSANU and JAC with the Minister of Education, Mamman told their officers that he has sent the reports to President Bola Tinubu since March waiting for his approval.
“But presently we are confused because we don’t know whether the Minister or President is receiving us. Minister of Labour and Employment , Hon.Nkiruka Onyejeocha, invited our National leaders to a meeting only the Permanent Secretary and officers of labour attended that meeting.”
“It’s true that we embarked on strike in 2022, we suspended that strike because of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) agreement between our leaders and Federal Government then,” Don explained.
Arobadi explained further that it was clearly stated in that agreement that nobody is going to be victimised, but failure of the Federal Government to pay withheld four months salary is a victimisation.
He stressed that between now and July 18, the Government should call his ministers to pay the money. Failure to do so, we’ll embark on an indefinite strike.
The Chairman appealed to the meaningful Nigerians to advise the government to do the needful, maintaining that they are all parents having children in tertiary institutions that their education should not be jeopardised.
Jigawa
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and other Allied Institutions (NASU) of Federal University Dutse (FUD) branch in Jigawa state staged a peaceful demonstration on Thursday, July 7, 2024, to protest the federal government’s alleged segregation among university staff.
Chairman of SSANU, Comrade Alasan Abdullahi, expressed dismay over the federal government’s action, which he described as injustice to union members.
“Sincerely, we are not happy,” he said.
“The members of the unions are protesting to show our dismay over the Federal Government’s decision to pay ASUU the four months withheld salaries, leaving other members of the association suffering for the same purpose. This is an injustice, as every staff member is important.”
Comrade Alhassan Abdullahi further noted, “We are staging this protest to show our concern over the Federal Government’s decision to pay one segment of the universities union members, ASUU, and refused to pay other unions members their four months withheld salaries.”
He asked, “Why did the Federal Government pay one union only without considering the other union groups? Are we not all staff?”
The Chairman warned that the unions would embark on a warning strike if the government failed to respond to their demand.
A meeting between the union leadership and the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday ended without any convincing commitment to the payment of the withheld salaries and resolutions of other pending issues.
Consequently, the leadership of the unions has mandated their chapters in various universities across the country to commence sensitization activities beginning from Monday, July 8, while also calling for a protest on the campuses on Tuesday, July 9.