The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter, have joined their counterparts nationwide on a-day protest over delay by the Federal Government in implementing the 2009 negotiation.

The SSANU Chairman, Ademola Junaid, stated this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Ile-Ife.

The protesters marched through the campus carrying placards with inscription like “We worked, You withheld, release our wages”; “Enough is enough, pay our two months salaries”; No more empty promises, Action now” among others.

He said that the struggle of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU between 2021 and 2022 led to signing of the agreement between the JAC and Federal Government on Aug. 20, 2022.

The SSANU chairman bemoaned the suffering of its members, saying that the Federal Government has not been sincere about the plight of SSANU/NASU members.

Junaid also said that the contentious issues are the alleged disbursement of N50 billion earned allowances; delay in renegotiation of the 2009 FGN and NASU/SSANU agreements among others.

Also, the SSANU Vice-Chairman, Mrs Stella Adebiyi, said that the Federal Government had been playing pranks on the associations by promising them and failing on all their demands since 2009 till date, in spite of all ultimatum given.
Adebiyi said that the protest was the only avenue to show their grievances, stressing
“that is the only language that government understand”.
She explained that the Federal Government has failed to pay their two months salaries; non-payment of arrears of 25 and 35 per cent salary arrears.

According to her, majority of their members have retired and unable to get their third party deductions of the two months salaries, which is unfair.

The SSANU Vice-Chairman appealed to the Federal Government to hearken to their voices and stop sabotaging their efforts by paying their promotion arrears for them to live meaningful lives.

In the same vein, Mr Dayo Oyediwura, the Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), recalled that Federal Government signed a non-victimisation clause with them in 2022, after paying two months’ salary out of four.

Oyediwura said that the Federal Government promised not to victimise anyone that participated in the strike then, but non-payment of their salaries was victimisation, which meant that the Federal Government had violated its pledge.

He explained that two months paid third party deductions were not included, meaning that the two months’ salary paid to them was nothing to them.

Oyediwura appealed to the Federal Government to pay the arrears of two months’ salary of their third-party deductions and to pay their promotion arrears since 2015/2019 till date as well.

According to him, the disbursement of N50 billion was unjust, for the money was paid to one union, and FG promised to pay SSANU and NASU, but nothing till date.

“Treatment of non-teaching staff should come with dignity, for dignity of labour should be embraced, for they are not slaves.

“The conditions of service of University workers are worst hit financially, economically and psychologically,” he lamented. (NAN)