The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has declared its intention to disrupt university activities nationwide if the withheld salaries of its members remain unpaid.
This follows the exclusion of SSANU members from the salary release by the Federal Government, which started with the Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday.
ASUU Chairperson at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, confirmed the development, stating, “Yes, it is true. Payment has started rolling in.”
The salary withholdings occurred during the ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ invoked by the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration against ASUU and SSANU during an eight-month strike in 2022.
In October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four months’ withheld salaries for ASUU.
However, SSANU’s National President, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, expressed discontent with their exclusion, emphasizing that while they aren’t against ASUU receiving payment, it’s unjust not to include SSANU.
Ibrahim decried the situation, stating, “This is just terrible; we found out that only ASUU’s payment was approved.
As it is, there is tension on all the campuses.
We are not angry that they are paying ASUU, but they should know that it is not only ASUU that went on strike.
Why should our case be different?” He highlighted that SSANU members would convene to decide on their course of action.
National Vice-President of SSANU, Abdussobur Salaam, warned that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU should not be blamed if administrative and corporate governance grind to a halt due to the government’s inaction.
Meanwhile, ASUU, Abuja zone, lamented the death of some members, attributing it to the harsh economic conditions, poor remuneration, and unfavorable working conditions.
The union reported the loss of 46 academics in universities under the Abuja zone and emphasized the need for improved healthcare access.
