The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), on Thursday, staged protest in Abuja to demand the immediate implementation of several long-standing agreements reached with the Federal Government.
The protest, which took place at the Yakubu Gowon University, (formerly University of Abuja), is also ongoing across various University campuses nationwide.
In Abuja, the protest was led by Comrade Nurudeen Yusuf, chairman of SSANU at Yakubu Gowon University, and Comrade Sadiya Ibrahim Hassan, chairperson of NASU, Yakubu Gowon University chapter.
The unions accused the Federal Government of neglect, insincerity and a persistent breach of collective agreements reached with the unions since 2022.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Comrade Yusuf said the protest was necessary after several unheeded appeals, warnings, and ultimatums to the Federal Government.
The unions listed six unresolved issues fueling the ongoing protest to include renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU Agreements, non-payment of the approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increments and unjust disbursement of the N50 billion earned allowances.
Other grievances are non-payment of withheld two months’ salaries from 2022, non-remittance of third-party deductions and general neglect of the welfare of non-teaching staff in universities.
The unions said their frustration dated back to the long-overdue renegotiation of the 2009 SSANU/NASU agreements, which, according to them, were supposed to be reviewed every three years.
They noted that since 2012, several committees headed at different times have been set up without producing any tangible outcome.
The union leaders described the process as an unending circle of meetings without progress.
“This gathering aims to shed light on the escalating crisis in the university sector impacting our members. Regrettably, the government’s unfulfilled promises have necessitated this public statement to caution all stakeholders in our universities and inter-university centres, as the status quo is unsustainable for our educational system due to the government’s insincerity about the plight of members of NASU and SSANU,” Yusuf said.
Chairperson of NASU, Comrade Sadiya Hassan, said the government’s approach of repeatedly setting up new committees instead of fulfilling existing obligations had deepened mistrust between both sides.
“The last meeting we had with the government was on October 6, following an earlier one on September 22, instead of addressing the issues, another committee was set up called the Expanded Yayale Ahmed Committee.
“These issues do not require new committees. The government already has all the facts and figures. The first step should be to release the withheld salaries and arrears as a show of good faith,” she explained.
The unions maintained that none of the six core demands had been met, contrary to claims by the Minister of Education that 80 per cent of the government’s promises had been fulfilled.
“That claim is false, none of the six core issues has been resolved. The 2009 renegotiation has not been done, the salary increments remain unpaid, our withheld salaries are outstanding, third-party deductions have not been remitted, and the earned allowances issue is unresolved. So where is the 80 percent?” they queried.
NASU National President, Dr. Makolo Hasan, who joined the protest in solidarity, said the decision to marginalise their members was a clear breach of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement.
Hasan said the unions had repeatedly given government room to act, issuing a series of ultimatums beginning with a one-week warning strike in September, later extended by two more weeks.
Those extensions, he said, expired without a single commitment being honoured.
“We have been patient, we gave a one-week strike notice, then extended it by two weeks. Nothing changed. That is why we are here today. This protest is a warning shot, but if the government remains indifferent, we will have no choice but to escalate,” he said.
Both union leaders warned that their patience was running thin, urging government to act before the nation’s university system faces another major shutdown.