Total shutdown of varsities looms as NASU, SSANU mull strike

Total shutdown of federal universities is imminent as two of the three industrial unions in the system might embark on strike any time soon.

The two unions — Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) — had said in Abuja on Thursday night that the Federal Government has not implemented agreements reached with them last year.

In a statement issued yesterday at the end of the two unions’ Joint Action Committee meeting in Abuja, they listed issues in contention to include inconsistencies in IPPIS payment, non-payment of earned allowances, delay in renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU agreement, non-payment of arrears of national minimum wage, usurpation of headship of non-teaching units in clear violation of conditions of service and establishment procedures, neglect and poor funding of state universities, non-payment of retirement benefits to outgoing members and non-constitution of Visitation Panel to Universities.

While refraining from declaring outright industrial dispute, the unions said they could no longer guarantee industrial peace on varsity campuses across the country.

“Given the situation of things as at today and the agitation of our members, we can no longer guarantee industrial peace in our university system. With this release, we place all Nigerians on red alert of the possibility of an industrial action by the non-teaching staff unions of NASU and SSANU, as we can no longer watch by as agreements freely entered into by the Federal Government with the Unions are not respected,” JAC said.

On the attendant problems of the Integrated Payment Personnel System (IPPIS), JAC disclosed that some of their members were still being paid salaries haphazardly.

It stressed that it was pained by the sufferings of its members, who have to endure the unpredictable remittance of third party deductions such as union check off dues, cooperative societies, welfare schemes and bank loans, among others.

JAC revealed that it had informed the government of the development of a software – the Universities Peculiar Personnel Payroll System (U3PS), adding that it has not been invited to defend it.

While the unions said they had agreed that a sum of N30 billion should be made available for the payment of arrears of Earned Allowance for the three non-teaching unions, they noted that an embarrassing situation emerged where only 25 per cent of a sum of N22 billion was paid to the non-teaching staff in a disbursement made in December 2021.