Federal universities across the country were shut down on Monday, in compliance with the indefinite strike called by the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities.
On Sunday night, SSANU and NASU vowed to indefinitely shut down all university activities across the country, starting Monday, until the Federal Government paid the four months withheld salaries.
A statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday and signed by the National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, said the ultimatum it gave the Federal Government over its withheld salaries expired Sunday midnight.
The unions are demanding, among others, the payment of the four-month withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The Federal Government had, through the Ministry of Labor and Employment, invoked the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy when the four university-based unions embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022.
Last October, President Bola Tinubu directed payment of four of the eight months withheld salaries for the academic staff. It was finally paid in February.
The directive was silent about the non-teaching staff, raising concerns as to their fate, a development the unions described as selective.
The Federal Ministry of Education on Monday reached out to the leaders of the university workers’ union, following the declaration of an indefinite strike.
Speaking on Monday with our correspondent in Abuja, Ibrahim noted that the ministry reached out to him requesting a meeting.
“Well, I will say unofficial (meeting) because there is no official communication to that effect,” Ibrahim told The PUNCH.
“The Minister of State for Education reached out via a phone call and noted that the call was on the instance of the incoming minister, requesting for a meeting today in Abuja but because I was unavailable, the meeting couldn’t be held.
“As you know most of us are not based in Abuja and all of that.”
According to Ibrahim, the compliance observed in universities on Monday likely prompted the Federal Ministry of Education to request a meeting.
On Monday, not much activity was recorded at the University of Lagos, as the school was on holiday.
A monitoring exercise conducted by our correspondent revealed that although the University of Lagos was on holiday, SSANU and NASU members still adhered to the strike directive.
Speaking to our correspondent, the branch chairman of SSANU at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Mr KT Fashola, stated that there was approximately 55 per cent compliance in the school, due to previously scheduled events planned for Monday.
At the University of Benin, activities were disrupted on Monday following the strike.
In a joint congress held at the sports complex, Ugbowo campus of the university, the leadership of the unions said a monitoring committee had been constituted to ensure compliance by those affected.
Activities in the library, health center and sports complex were closed to students.
At the school gate, private security outfits contracted by the management were seen at work.
Speaking at the meeting, the chairman of the UNIBEN branch of NASU, Anthony Igbinosa, said, “The President said they should give us 50 per cent of what they owe us, which is two months, so, we gladly left and happily told our people that we were expecting two months salary and let us start from somewhere.