The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has directed its members to embark on a one-day protest on Thursday.
The directive was contained in a circular addressed to all branch chairmen and jointly signed by Mr Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU, and Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, National President of SSANU respectively.
According to the circular, the protest follows the Federal Government’s failure to address long-standing issues affecting members despite several extensions of ultimatum.
The unions listed the issues to include the unjust disbursement of N50 billion earned allowances and the delay in renegotiating the 2009 NASU/SSANU-Federal Government agreement.
Others are the non-payment of two months’ outstanding salaries, arrears of 25 and 35 per cent salary increases, and the non-remittance of third-party deductions for May and June 2022.
The unions noted that although a Joint Consultative Committee was inaugurated by the Minister of Education to address their demands, two meetings held so far had yielded little progress.
They stated that the meetings held on Sept. 19 and Oct. 6 at the Permanent Secretary’s Conference Room in Abuja failed to produce concrete commitments from government officials.
Consequently, the committee directed all branches in universities and inter-university centres to hold a joint congress on Wednesday to mobilise members for Thursday’s protest.
According to the circular, the protest activities should include prayer sessions, protest marches within campuses, display of placards, and press conferences to express members’ grievances.
The committee urged all their members in both federal and state universities to actively participate, stressing that their unity and cooperation are crucial to achieving their demands.
