University Workers Begin Nationwide Protests Tuesday

Non-eaching staff in Nigerian Universities said they have concluded arrangements to embark on a three-day nationwide protests following federal government’s refusal to address their demands about Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), sharing formula of the N40 billion Earned Academic allowances, non-payment of arrears of the new minimum wage, among others.

The workers, under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) which consists of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), have been directed at all branches to mobilise other members for the rallies.

JAC took the decision to protest against inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, the delay in the renegotiation of the FGN/ ASUU /SSANU 2009 Agreement and other issues on Friday night at a meeting that held between the leadership of NASU and SSANU in Abuja.

A communiqué issued on Sunday, which was signed by the President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, and the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peters Adeyemi, disclosed that they reviewed the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Federal Government on October 20, 2020.

Other Issues

The workers listed other contentious issues as the non-payment of retirement benefits to former members, non-constitution of visitation panels to universities, poor funding of universities, teaching staff usurping the headship of non-teaching units and other wide range of issues.

The communiqué added that the unions would consider other measures to press home their demands, including embarking on an indefinite strike after the protests. The committee will also meet on Thursday to review the success of the protests and deliberate on the next step.

Daily Trust recalls that the government had in December approved N40 billion Earned Allowances for the four unions in Nigerian universities.

Not less than 75 per cent of the amount was allegedly allocated to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) leaving 25 percent for the other three unions – a development that angered NASU, SSANU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), however, rejecting the sharing formula and threatened to paralyse academic activities in the universities.