Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have instructed their members to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike starting Monday, March 18, 2024.
This decision follows a seven-day nationwide warning strike conducted last week in protest of the federal government’s failure to disburse withheld salaries.
In a newly released memorandum by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU, signed by SSANU’s National President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU’s General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, branch leaders were urged to ensure full compliance with the directive.
The memo states, “Please note that the 7-day warning strike should be comprehensive and total as no concession should be given in any guise.
“Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive is mandatory for all NASU and SSANU branches in the Universities and Inter-University Centres.”
The planned strike rekindles memories of the 2022 nationwide industrial action by SSANU and NASU, which severely disrupted activities across university campuses.
At the time, the unions protested the government’s failure to fulfill promises to workers and the perceived underfunding of universities.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy during the 2022 strike, withholding workers’ salaries despite SSANU’s claim that due process was followed before initiating the four-month-long strike.
As the strike commences on Monday, the fate of ongoing academic and administrative activities in Nigerian universities hangs in the balance, with SSANU and NASU standing firm in their demands for resolution from the government.
