FG, Varsity Workers’ Meeting Deadlocked, Strike Continues – National President

The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational Associated Institutions has said its Wednesday meeting with the Federal Government ended in a deadlock.

SSANU and NASU began a seven-day warning strike on Monday to demand their four months’ salaries withheld since 2021 when they embarked on a prolonged strike.

Speaking with our correspondent in an interview, The National President, JAC of SSANU, NASU, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, revealed that the unions met with the two Ministers of Education, the permanent secretary, and other directors, but the meeting did not achieve any congent outcome.

He said the nationwide strike by the unions would therefore continue.

He said, “Strike continues, we met with the two Ministers of Education and the permanent secretary, and they told us our complaints were receiving attention at the highest quarters of government.

“We told them we appreciate this, but we cannot suspend the strike without seeing the payment alerts. When we told them we wanted to know when the alert would drop, they didn’t give any specific date. We are not considering suspension of the strike if we do not receive alerts. The beauty of this strike is that it is a warning strike and will end by midnight on Sunday.  We hope their assurances will result in something tangible.”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Academic Technologists also began a nationwide strike on Wednesday.

Members of the union at the University of Lagos staged a peaceful protest in front of the school’s gate.

The Chairman, UNILAG NAATS, Mr Douglas Ojobo, said, “Our national executives wrote a series of letters, we consulted and they turned a deaf hear to it, they did not respond to our national leadership. We met and it was resolved that NAATS should embark on a three-day nationwide protest, which starts today till Friday.

“At the end of Friday, if nothing is done, it will be reviewed and we will come up with another strategy to make sure that the government pays us our money, we deserve our salaries and we need our salaries.”