Varsities’ Senior Workers Beg FG To Pay Withheld Salaries

Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has appealed to the federal government to pay the May, June, July and August 2022 salaries of its members without further delay.

SSANU chairman, Federal University Lokoja in Kogi State, Mr Adedeji Kazeem Suarau, made the appeal during a press interview.

Surarau expressed dismay over the decision of the federal government to pay lecturers and left out non- teaching staff, saying government’s action smacks of injustice.

The government withheld four months’ salaries of non-teaching staff members of Nigerian universities for participating in the strike in 2022.

All efforts to get the salaries paid failed during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU embarked on a series of actions to get the salaries paid during this administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which have not yielded the desired results till now.

According to Suarau, the union’s hope was raised when the federal government promised to release four months salaries withheld only for non-teaching staff to be excluded at the end of the day.

He said,’’  We were more hopeful when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pleaded with governors to ensure all arrears of salary are paid to cushion the effects of economic hardship in the country during his last meeting with Governors.

“It appears the economic hardship in Nigerian Universities is only viewed through the lens of Academic Unions, because to our dismay the salary arrears have been released to teaching staff only, leaving out non-teaching staff members.’’

The FUL SSANU chairman described the decision of the federal government to pay only academic staff and leave out non-teaching staff as gross injustice.

„This is injustice, and when there is injustice to some part of the system, there cannot be peace in the whole system.

„If this injustice is not addressed as quickly as possible, the federal government should be blamed for any breakdown of industrial harmony in the universities,“ Suarau said.

He said the unions will not fold their arms and allow the injustice to subsist.