SSANU to embark on 3-day protest — Official

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities  (SSANU) is to embark on a three-day nationwide protest from Dec. 17 to Dec. 19 to press home its demands,  Mr Abdussobur Salaam, National Public Relations Officer, said in Abuja on Monday.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT) had embarked on a nationwide strike on Dec. 4, 2017 and suspended it in March.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige had said the Federal Government would source for eight billion naira within five weeks to pay the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU.

According to Salaam, the protest is about the non-implementation of the agreement reached with the government.

“The protest was a decision reached at the union’s 35th National Executive Council (NEC) of SSANU meeting held at Enugu State University on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6.

”In view of the above, the National Executive Council of the union resolved that branches should organise a three-day national protest across the country.

“The nationwide protest should commence between Monday, Dec. 17 and Wednesday, Dec.  19, ” Salaam said.

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Education had informed the Chairman of the JAC of NAAT, NASU and SSANU via a letter dated Aug. 19 that approval had been given for the release of eight billion naira.

Salaam said the eight billion naira was supposed to be payment of Earned Allowances for Non- Teaching Staff in the universities and that the minister had also requested for templates for the payments to the unions.

He said it appeared the letters being sent to the unions were a delay ploy ”as the letters in themselves are needless because the unions had always made their positions known since the irregular disbursement of N23 billion to ASUU in 2017, ” he said.

He said the status of the workers in the University Staff Schools remained the same in spite of the National Industrial Court ruling of Dec. 5, 2016 that the workers in the schools were  employees of the Federal Government.

”The members of staff domiciled in the University Staff Schools, numbering over 2,000 have been subjected to trauma, insecurity and denials of salaries, some going to upward of a year, a situation that the union cannot continue to accept,” he said.

Salaam decried alleged apathy and disinterest in all other aspects of the Memoranda of Understanding reached between the government and the union.

He said members should be fully mobilised to participate in the protests, while branches should carry along the media and the security agencies during the protest. (NAN)