Withheld salaries: UNILAG’s SSANU, NASU join nationwide strike

Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, on Monday joined their colleagues from other public universities across the country in commencing an indefinite industrial action as directed by their national leadership.

The leadership of both groups, under the aegis of the Joint Action Congress (JAC), issued the directive in a circular jointly signed by the Secretary-General of NASU, Prince Adeyemi Peters, and the President of SSANU, Mr. Mohammed Ibraheem, on Sunday and sent to all chairpersons across their branches nationwide.

The circular directed branch leadership to first hold a congress with members to prepare them fully for the strike and then to proceed with the action until further notice.

As directed, members of both groups assembled in the morning in the foyer of the University’s Senate Building for congress.

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Addressing those in attendance in turn, Gbenga Adenaiya, Acting SSANU Chairman, and Yinka Abiodun, NASU Chairman, explained that the strike would not have been necessary if the Federal Government had paid their four months of withheld salaries, an issue for which they have been advocating.

According to them, President Bola Tinubu had magnanimously approved the payment of the four months of withheld salaries since 2022 to their members, at least since their last national protest on this matter in Abuja in July.

However, to their dismay, the approval and authorization by the President have not been honored.

“To us, we believe that the Minister of Finance, the former Minister of Education, and the Chief of Staff to the President are the ones blocking the payment,” they noted.

“So, we can no longer cope, hence the reason for our resumed strike, which this time is total, comprehensive, and indefinite for all members.”

Meanwhile, the returning students of the university have been asked to resume for the new academic calendar on Monday, with lectures set to commence next Monday, November.