Universities across the country, particularly those owned by the Federal Government, were shut down yesterday as non-academic staff, under the umbrella of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU), commenced an indefinite industrial action.
This decision came after the national leaders of the two unions called for the strike due to the government’s failure to pay four months of salaries that were withheld during the 2022 strike by university workers. According to the National Universities Commission (NUC), approximately 2.1 million students currently studying at universities will be affected by this strike.
Situation at UNILAG
The branch chairman of SSANU at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Mr. Olugbenga Adenaiya, confirmed that the decision to strike aligns with the directive from their national leaders. “This morning, we held a congress where our members unanimously agreed to follow the directive of the national leadership. The strike will be total and indefinite. We cannot be treated like slaves in our country. Earlier this year, we suspended our previous strike because the government promised to pay the withheld salaries, but that promise has not been fulfilled. All offices and essential services provided by SSANU and NASU members have been put on hold until further notice,” he stated.
This development coincided with the university’s scheduled start of academic activities for the 2024/2025 academic session. In anticipation of the strike, the university management had previously announced that lectures would be conducted online for the initial weeks.
Activities in Limbo at FUTA
In a similar vein, Mr. Felix Adubi, Chairman of SSANU at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, reported that non-teaching staff at the institution also joined the strike. “We held our congress this morning and resolved to go on strike as directed by our national body. The government cannot claim that we have not tried enough. We went on strike, just like the teaching staff did, and while some of the withheld salaries of academic staff have been paid, we are still waiting for ours,” he remarked.
