Striking non-teaching staff of the Federal public universities, yesterday, dismissed a report that the federal government has invited them for a meeting over the ongoing indefinite nationwide strike, saying the government has not reached out to them, reports Vanguard.
This came as members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, counterparts, at the University of Ilorin, UNILIRIN, and University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, and others in the South-East region which did not join on Monday because of the sit at home protest, also joined the strike to protest four months withheld salaries by the government.
Speaking to our correspondent, President of SSANU, Mohamed Ibrahim, said “Nobody from the side of the government has reached out to us. Nobody from the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Education or the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation has reached out to us. The claim by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education that they are disappointed in us for the action we took is out of point. What do they expect us to do? Have we not been patient enough?
“A situation where different categories of workers went on strike, their salaries withheld and some were paid part of their salaries and others treated as inconsequential, cannot be tolerated at all. If only academic staff can run the university system, there is no need to employ other categories of workers.”
He reiterated that the strike would not be called off until their demands were met.
Meanwhile, a lecturer in UNN, who was on campus yesterday, told our correspondent that the development hampered activities on campus.
“The strike by the non-academic staff started today here on campus at UNN. The sit-at-home observance did not allow it to begin Monday as people stayed at home,” the source said.
At UNILORIN, Chairman of NASU, Zubair Haruna Ibrahim, said “It is an indefinite strike action and until our demands are met, we will not report for work. The federal government ordered the payment of our four months’ withheld salaries and since then we have not been paid, even as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, have been paid 50 per cent of their own withheld salaries.”.
On his part, the Branch Chairman of SSANU, Falowo Olushola, declared that “until we are paid, we will continue with the strike action. President Bola Tinubu pronounced that our money be paid since last year but up till now, it is still with the Accountant-General of the Federation.”
