Varsity Workers Begin Nationwide Strike Monday

The non-academic staff unions of Nigerian Universities, on Sunday, said they have declared an indefinite nationwide strike over the continuous withholding of their members’ four-month salaries since 2022.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in a statement on Sunday revealed that the strike action will commence on Monday, October 28, and continues indefinitely until their demands were met.

The statement was jointly signed by SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi.

According to JAC, the decision followed multiple ultimatums earlier issued and protests held to ensure that the government paid the withheld salaries without yielding positive results, adding that, “We have exercised considerable and prolonged patience, allowing multiple deadlines to pass without receiving a satisfactory response to our demands by the government.”

The unions directed all their members in the universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to hold a joint congress in their respective campuses on Monday, October 28, 2024, and proceed on an indefinite, comprehensive and total strike action, saying no concession should be given in any guise.

It would be recalled that for eight months in 2022, activities within the Nigerian universities were grounded due to prolonged strike action by both academic and non-academic staff.