The affected unions — the Joint Action Congress (JAC), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) — directed workers to vacate their offices and ordered the immediate suspension of skeletal services across the institution.
Following a joint congress held on campus, union leaders instructed that all administrative offices be locked, effectively grounding operations. Staff members and students were subsequently asked to leave the premises.
A union representative, who preferred anonymity, said the industrial action was triggered by management’s failure to pay January and February 2026 salaries. According to him, December 2025 wages were only paid towards the end of January 2026, with no clear timeline for subsequent payments.
He described the delay as unacceptable, stressing that workers could no longer continue under such conditions.
Responding to the development, Vice Chancellor Prof. Francesca Bassey assured that efforts were underway to address the backlog and settle outstanding salaries.
Meanwhile, anxiety has gripped students ahead of examinations scheduled to begin on Monday. A Media Studies student, Alfred Obeten, appealed to authorities to urgently resolve the impasse to avoid further disruption to the academic calendar.