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) has declared an indefinite strike starting Monday, October 28, 2024. This decision comes after the Nigerian government failed to meet the unions’ demands for the payment of four months’ withheld salaries.
The announcement follows the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the government to address the outstanding payments by midnight on Sunday. In a statement referencing JAC/NS/VOL.III/32, Mohammed Ibrahim, National President of SSANU, and Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU, expressed frustration over the government’s inaction.
The unions stated that the ultimatum issued on October 21 demanded that the government implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with NASU and SSANU on August 20, 2022. The unions had also previously granted a 10-day grace period, which expired on July 26, 2024, yet no progress was made.
“It is quite appalling that we have issued several ultimatums thereafter with no positive result,” the statement read, emphasizing that repeated dialogues, correspondences, and assurances from the government failed to yield the expected payments. “We have exercised considerable and prolonged patience, allowing multiple deadlines to pass without receiving a satisfactory response.”
Members are instructed to hold joint congresses on campuses nationwide to initiate the indefinite, total strike action without concessions. State-owned universities are encouraged to incorporate their local demands into the strike as deemed necessary.
The unions’ leadership called for “strict compliance and adherence” to this directive across all NASU and SSANU branches in federal and state-owned institutions, as well as inter-university centers.