Federal universities across Nigeria were shut down on Monday as members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) commenced an indefinite strike.
This action follows the expiration of an ultimatum given to the Federal Government to address grievances over withheld salaries.
On Sunday night, SSANU and NASU, under their Joint Action Committee, declared that they would halt all university activities nationwide until the government released their four-month withheld salaries.
The strike notice was issued in a statement signed by SSANU’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and announced that the unions’ patience had reached its limit.
The unions’ demands include payment of the four-month salary arrears, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and full implementation of the 2009 agreements with the Federal Government.
This indefinite strike also calls into question the government’s application of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy implemented during a prolonged 2022 strike by university-based unions.
Last October, President Bola Tinubu directed the release of withheld salaries for academic staff, a measure that left non-teaching staff without clarity on their payment, a move SSANU and NASU leaders criticized as “selective.”
Following the shutdown announcement, the Federal Ministry of Education contacted the union leaders to schedule an urgent meeting, according to SSANU’s President, Mohammed Ibrahim.
However, as of Monday, the unions remain resolute in their demands, signalling that university operations will stay suspended until a satisfactory resolution is reached.
In an interview with Punch, Ibrahim said, “Well, I will say unofficial (meeting) because there is no official communication to that effect.
“The Minister of State for Education reached out via a phone call and noted that the call was on the instance of the incoming minister, requesting for a meeting today in Abuja but because I was unavailable, the meeting couldn’t be held.
“As you know most of us are not based in Abuja and all of that.”
According to Ibrahim, the compliance observed in universities on Monday likely prompted the Federal Ministry of Education to request a meeting.