N40bn Allowance: SSANU, NASU Threaten Strike

The Joint Action Committee including the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, on Wednesday, threatened to embark on strike if the President Muhammadu Buhari led government fails to meet their demands by January, 14th, 2021.

The President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, stated this while speaking on Channels TV on Wednesday.

Recall that the non-teaching staffs started a nationwide protest on Tuesday over the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System and the N40bn earned allowance.

The unions which are not pleased with the 25 per cent of the N40bn presented to it by the Federal Government described the sharing formula as illogical and a divide and rule tactic.

Ibrahim while speaking on Wednesday said, “The major aim of our protest is to sensitise government that look, you have a problem. The problem is that you are not honouring agreements. From agreements you have moved to MoUs and MoUs are becoming just a charade you sit down and take tea and the MoUs will never see the light of the day.”

“After day 3, we will meet and appraise the situation and let the world know our next line of action. But whenever you see the two unions –NASU and SSANU– meet, any decision we take will be in the best interest of the students and our membership.”

He accused the Federal Government of causing the issue on ground and threatened that the unions will embark on strike if not attended to.

He said, “In the labour laws, a strike is not an abnormal thing. We can also go on strike. But whenever you see us go on strike, it is the last option. We don’t just jump at strike; we are not strike-triggered unions, we go on strike when it becomes inevitable. I will not foreclose that if the government does not listen, which I don’t want to believe because engagement has already started, we will go on strike.”

“Government is making this problem self-induced. In the first place, if the government is serious about peace, harmony and tranquillity in the system, it shouldn’t have given the money in the name of union; it should have given it to the universities because board members of ASUU, NASU, SSANU are staffers of the universities.”

“If these monies were given to the university managements, all these hullabaloos would not be there because the right thing will be done. But when you call out a union and say I am giving you this, when have unions become institutions of governance? Unions are supposed to be pressure bodies.”