Demonstrate Sincerity In Addressing Our Demands, SSANU Tells FG

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called on the federal government to demonstrate sincerity and commitment in addressing various unresolved issues affecting university workers and the Nigerian education sector.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of SSANU’s 51st National Executive Council (NEC) Meeting, held in Kano State and signed by the national president, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim.

After deliberations, the union noted several unresolved issues that, if left unattended, could threaten industrial harmony across tertiary institutions.

One of the major grievances raised was the non-payment of withheld salaries for SSANU members who participated in the 2022 industrial action. They described the continued withholding of two months’ wages as unjust and a breach of trust, urging the federal government to immediately release the arrears as a gesture of goodwill.

The NEC condemned the persistent delays in paying monthly salaries to federal university staff, often long after other federal employees have been paid and demanded the harmonisation of salary disbursements across all institutions to prevent discrimination and promote fairness.

The union also criticised the government’s failure to honour signed agreements, including Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and Memoranda of Action (MoAs). It emphasised that such documents, having been negotiated in good faith, are binding and must be fully implemented.

SSANU also expressed dissatisfaction with the allocation of only N10 billion out of the N50 billion released for earned allowances to non-teaching staff unions, SSANU, NASU, and NAAT, despite a prior agreement reached in August 2022.

The NEC described this as discriminatory and an affront to the essential roles played by non-teaching staff in the university system. It called on the government to revisit and address the inequity without delay.

SSANU further condemned the federal government’s delay in renegotiating the 2009 FG/SSANU Agreement, describing it as a source of long-standing frustration among its members.

The NEC also raised concerns over worsening insecurity, economic hardship due to recent reforms, and the government’s inadequate response to climate-related disasters.

The union urged the federal government to address these challenges with transparency and urgency, warning that failure to act could prompt lawful industrial responses from the union.

The communique reads in parts, “After exhaustive deliberations on issues affecting the Union as well as matters concerning the University system and the nation at large, NEC in session reaffirms SSANU’s commitment to nation-building, declaring the Union’s readiness to offer its professional expertise in education reform in service to the nation.

NEC calls on the federal government to demonstrate sincerity, commitment, and responsiveness in addressing our demands as SSANU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to promoting equity, professionalism, and good governance within the Nigerian university system and the broader national landscape”.