SSANU, NASU to begin strike on Monday over withheld salaries

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have announced a strike action across various institutions in the country. 

Both unions are demanding the release of the four-month salaries of members withheld during an eight-month strike in 2022.

The salaries of university staff who embarked on the strike were withheld by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

In October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four months of the withheld salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

But the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU tackled the government over the way it handled the situation by releasing the four months of withheld salaries to ASUU while leaving out non-academic staff.

The unions then issued a seven-day ultimatum on March 1 at the end of which they stated that a possible strike was looming, saying their February 13 letter to Femi Gbajabiamila, the president’s chief of staff (CoS), and Tahir Mamman, the minister for education, was not attended to.

Last week, SSANU and NASU declared a seven-day warning strike pending a response from the government.

In a widely circulated memo by the JAC of SSANU and NASU, Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU national president, and Peters Adeyemi, NASU general secretary, on Friday, said the strike is a response to the government’s failure to effectively address their demands.

The memorandum also directs full compliance by the unions’ branch heads across “universities and inter-universities”.

“Please, note that the 7-day warning strike should be comprehensive and total, as no concession should be given in any guise,” the memo reads in part.

“Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive are mandatory for all NASU and SSANU branches in universities and inter-university centres.”