Universities to shut down completely as SSANU, NASU begin two-week warning strike Monday

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) has declared a decision to embark on a two-week warning strike, starting from Monday.

This may completely cripple activities in Nigeria public universities considering the ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Nigerian Academic the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

ASUU had extended its strike to two months, at the expiration of its four-week warning strike which it declared on Monday, February 14.

Also, NAAT barely six days ago, directed its members to commence a two weeks warning strike due to the alleged failure of the Federal Government to implement agreements reached with the union

Both SSANU and NASU have equally joined the industrial action after a two-week warning strike was declared on Friday.

The unions blamed its decision on failure of the Nigerian government to react to its letter earlier issued threatening to down tools.

The notice is contained in a memo addressed to the leadership of the unions’ branches nationwide and dated March 25, 2022.

The memo by JAC, which was signed by SSANU president, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU general secretary, Peters Adeyemi, is titled; “Commencement of Two-Week Warning Strike.”

It reads in part “In view of the nonchalant attitude of the government to our demands, this is to direct our members in all universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to commence a two-week strike by midnight of Sunday, 27 March, 2022, in the first instance as earlier conveyed to the federal government in our letter.

“Please note that the two-week warning strike should be comprehensive and total as no concession should be given under any guise. Your strict compliance and adherence to this directive is mandatory for all branches of NASU and SSANU in the universities and inter-university centres,” it said.

In a letter addressed to the office of the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, and dated March 16, 2022, JAC of SSANU and NASU had accused the government of insincerity in its implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) reached with the government in October 2020 and February 2021 respectively.

The letter, written at the end of a meeting to review the situation and signed by both Messrs Adeyemi and Ibrahim, gave the Nigerian government up till March 27 to address its demands or face an initial two-week strike.

JAC had given two weeks ultimatum to the government to implement the said demands, while it issued ‘red alerts’ to its members, asking them to prepare for a possible showdown with the government. (The Sun)