Two of Nigeria’s main university staff unions have extended by two weeks a strike ultimatum issued to the federal government, warning that failure to resolve long-running welfare disputes could trigger a nationwide shutdown of campuses.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU), under their Joint Action Committee, had initially given the government seven days to meet their demands. These include the payment of outstanding allowances and what the unions described as the “unjust disbursement” of earned allowances in favour of academic staff.
In a letter signed by SSANU president, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions recalled earlier warnings dating back to June, which prompted talks with the education minister in July. But in a new directive to their chapters nationwide, they said little progress had been made.
The decision to extend the ultimatum followed a meeting with the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, on 19 September, which brought together senior officials from the National Universities Commission and the Ministry of Labour. Discussions, the unions said, focused on their demands but failed to produce firm resolutions.
“The JAC of NASU and SSANU has resolved to extend the ultimatum by an additional two weeks,” the letter read. “This extension provides the government with an opportunity to initiate the requisite processes to address our demands. If the government fails to do the needful, we will summarily proceed with a series of legitimate industrial actions.”
The fresh warning raises the spectre of yet another round of strikes in Nigeria’s beleaguered higher education sector, where students have endured repeated disruptions in recent years due to industrial disputes.
