SSANU and NASU Protest Over Withheld Salaries, Threaten Strike Action
On Tuesday, members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) organized a peaceful demonstration demanding the release of their four-months withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
The two unions voiced their dissatisfaction with the current administration’s failure to settle their overdue salaries, warning that a complete strike would be their only recourse if the government did not meet their demands.
The protest took place at the university’s main campus in Felele, Lokoja, attracting a large number of union members. Participants carried placards with various messages, urging the Federal Government to release their withheld salaries and address other pending issues.
Comrade Adedeji Kazeem Suarau, the SSANU chairman at FUL, addressed the protestors, urging the government to expedite the resolution of their demands to prevent a potential collapse of university education. He explained that the withheld salaries resulted from the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy implemented by the previous administration under President Muhammadu Buhari.
“When President Tinubu took office, he pardoned and authorized the payment of the withheld salaries. However, only members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received their dues, while non-teaching staff were excluded,” Suarau stated.
Despite assurances that approval was forthcoming, the Federal Government has yet to fulfill this promise. Additionally, promotion arrears for union members, pending since 2018, remain unresolved, with only some members receiving payments while many others are still waiting.
Suarau highlighted the financial strain on members, noting that even the wage awards intended to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal have not been paid for four months. He called on the Federal Government to fulfill its obligations by paying all outstanding salaries and allowances.
