Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to pay the university’s non-teaching staff of their four months withheld salaries.
The staff involved are members of SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Chairman of SSANU, Abubakar Aliyu, stated, at the weekend, that public universities, upon resumption from the prolonged strike, had used the fiat vide university autonomy to immediately conduct the 2021/2022 academic session leading to the review of academic calendars.
He explained that the session was closely followed by combined admissions registration, matriculations, convocations as well as multiple National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation across all public universities in the country.
The statement maintained that the magnanimity of the university managers and staff had made the situation a win-win for both staff and students. According to the statement, the release of the withheld salaries by the President would enable the Federal Government to create another avenue of engagement with university-based unions whose agitation had always been on four cardinal issues, including, conditions of service, remuneration, administration and appointment as well as finding, adding that all those were contained in the 2009 agreement yet to renegotiated.
Aliyu had also enjoined the Minister of Education to facilitate the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with the unions as he did with the exit of universities from the Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and the implementation of the 25/35 per cent salary increase. The association had reportedly dedicated the last 10 days of 2024 Ramadan prayers to the success of Tinubu’s administration.
