Barring last minute’s change, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, may shut down universities tomorrow over the non-payment of four months withheld salaries by the government.
Recall that a fortnight ago, the Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, had issued a two week ultimatum to the Federal Government to pay its members the four months withheld salaries.
Of the four university-based unions that embarked on a prolonged strike in 2022, the Federal Government has paid the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, leaving behind the three other unions.
But SSANU in a communique after its 48th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held in University of Benin, Edo State last weekend, threatened to withdraw its services at the end of the two weeks ultimatum, if the government failed to pay the four months withheld salaries at the end of the ultimatum tomorrow.
The JAC of SSANU and NASU is expected to meet on the aforementioned date to review the government response to the ultimatum and take a common position on withdrawing their services.
SSANU, in the communique signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, expressed dismay over what it described as the unprecedented level of government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university by adopting a divide and rule policy.
The communique read: “NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.”
Recall that SSANU and other unions were compelled by government to embark on strike in 2022 over the refusal to honour a Collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties.
“At the end of the strike, the then (Muhammadu) Buhari government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non victimization clause. However, government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries.”
