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 beginning Monday, October 28, 2024. In a joint statement co-signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, the unions criticized the Federal Government for ignoring their repeated ultimatums and demands for fair treatment.
The unions directed their members in public universities and inter-university centers nationwide to hold a joint congress on their respective campuses and “proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive, and total strike action” without offering any concessions. The strike will disrupt administrative and essential services across Nigeria’s public universities.
SSANU and NASU accuse the government of showing favoritism by paying withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while neglecting non-academic staff. During a nationwide eight-month strike in 2022, all university unions, including SSANU, NASU, and ASUU, demanded improved welfare packages. However, the then-Buhari administration enforced a “No Work, No Pay” policy, withholding salaries for the period.
In October, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of ASUU’s withheld salaries, but non-academic unions received only partial payments. The unions expressed deep frustration over this perceived discrimination, with NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi stating, “Our members have been unjustly denied their due, while the academic staff were fully compensated.”
In April, then-Education Minister Tahir Mamman attributed the non-payment of withheld salaries to a “communication problem,” asserting that the government did not discriminate against the unions. However, SSANU and NASU maintain that the government has failed to honor its commitment to non-academic staff, despite numerous protests and warning strikes that saw universities’ administrative operations brought to a halt.
On September 17, 2023, the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU issued a three-week ultimatum for the government to release the withheld salaries, warning that failure to comply would trigger industrial action. The ultimatum expired without resolution, leading to this latest indefinite strike.
The indefinite strike will severely impact essential services in public universities across Nigeria, disrupting students, staff, and administrative functions. SSANU and NASU have made it clear that their members are resolute in their stance, demanding fair treatment and the full payment of their withheld salaries to restore parity across all university unions.
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