NAAT Declares Nationwide Protest Over Withheld Salaries

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has announced a nationwide protest over non-payment of withheld salaries and unfulfilled agreements with the federal government.

The development came barely four days after the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) embarked on an indefinite strike on similar grounds.

The protest which is expected to commence midnight of 6th November, 2024, would have all branches of the union across universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education mobilised to press home their demands.

NAAT’s president, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, who declared the protest after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, also gave the federal government a two-week ultimatum starting from October 30, 2024, as a final opportunity to resolve their grievances.

The protest stemmed from a list of long-standing demands that include the payment of five and a half months of withheld salaries and the full implementation of a 2009 agreement with NAAT.

The agreement, according to the union, encompassed critical items such as allowances for academic technologists, provisions for student training programmes and the enhancement of staff-to-student ratios.

NAAT also urged the government to among other things, release funds for upgrading university laboratories and to address the broader issues of underfunding and proliferation of public universities.

The union had previously issued a three-week ultimatum on 30th September 2024, which expired on October 21.

According to Nwokoma, the ultimatum ended without any acknowledgment from government agencies, including the Federal Ministries of Education and Labour and Employment.

NAAT expressed frustration over what it described as government “insensitivity,” pointing to President Bola Tinubu’s recent approval of the withheld salaries that the finance ministry had not yet acted upon.

NAAT’s president told journalists that, within the two-week window, local branches would convene congresses to conduct a referendum on whether to escalate the protest into a full strike.

According to him, if the government fails to act by November 13, 2024, the union will embark on an indefinite strike, beginning 14th November, 2024 with picketing of the Federal Ministry of Finance.

He said, “It is quite unfortunate and regrettable too, that despite the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s waiver and approval to pay five and half month salaries owed NAAT members, the refusal by the honourable minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy to effect this approval raises more questions than answers on the true commitment and sincerity on the part of federal government in resolving the issues.

“Several efforts were made in the past including series of letters, protests, visits, notices of ultimatums and several Memorandum of Understanding (MOUS) freely entered between NAAT and Federal Government (i.e MOU of 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022)… but to no avail.

“Consequent upon the above, the union having reviewed the situation critically decided to give federal government additional two (2) weeks ultimatum, with effect from 30th of October 2024.”

He added that the National Executive Council (NEC) has directed all her branches in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to hold a nationwide protest to drive home their demands.

He continued, “Within the two weeks ultimatum, branches have been directed to hold congresses and conduct a referendum to decide if the union will proceed on strike once the 14 days’ ultimatum expires on the 13th of November 2024.

“If at the end of the 14-day ultimatum no positive response from government, the union will embark on a national protest which will culminate into a total and indefinite strike without recourse to government.”