The Nigeria’s educational system may finally collapse, should
the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU)
and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) eventually carry out
their threats and join the ongoing industrial impasse that
has seen public universities in the country shut down for
three months running.
SSANU has threatened to join the strike action tomorrow
over FG’s refusal to pay salary of its members since the
industrial logjam started in July, while NUT has equally given
government two weeks to resolve the impasse, failure of
which could make it close down all the primary and
secondary schools in the country.
It will be recalled that academic activities got paralysed in all
the nation’s public universities on July 1, except the
University of Ilorin and nine newly created federal
universities, following the industrial action embarked upon
by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the
non-implementation of an agreement they entered into with
the Federal Government in 2009.
NUT, which is the umbrella body of all teachers at both
primary and secondary schools in the country, said at the
end of its meeting in Abuja, recently, that it would not
hesitate to close down the nation’s schools, should the
Federal Government and ASUU “fail to reach agreement
after two weeks.”
According to the President of the union, Mr Michael
Olukoya, this became necessary to protest the failure of
negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government.
SSANU mobilises members for tomorrow’s strike
Sunday Tribune learnt that the union had fully mobilised all
its members in the universities across the country for the
commencement of a nationwide strike tomorrow.
The union has issued a directive to all its members to stay
away from work as from tomorrow until the salaries are fully
paid, as the SSANU President, Mr Samson Ugwoke, also
declared that the strike will be total.
The directive was given in a letter dated 27 September,
2013, and addressed to all SSANU branch chairmen in all the
universities in the country.
In the letter, written and signed by the General Secretary of
SSANU, Mr Promise Adewusi, the workers have been
directed not to go back to work until a counter directive is
given to them.
No response from FG
Comrade Adewusi stated that the union took the decision,
having written letters to vice-chancellors in various
universities, the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, ministers of Labour
and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu and Education, Mr
Nyesom Wike, as well as the Executive Secretary, National
Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okojie,
which yielded no result.
He regretted that despite that several letters, the two
months salaries of their members had not been paid.
The letter read: “On behalf of the National Administration
Committee (NAC), the National President hereby directs all
SSANU members in all SSANU branches to stay away from
work from Monday, 30th September, 2013, until the salaries
of our members in all universities for the months of August
and September, 2013 are fully paid.”
“This is sequel to our letters Ref: SSANU/NS/VCS/04/12 of
23rd September, 2013 and Ref: SSANU/NS/FML&P/06/13 of
25th September, 2013 to various vice-chancellors, the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, ministers of
Labour and Productivity and Education as well as the
Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission. In
spite of the two letters, the salaries of our members in most
universities remain unpaid for the said months.
“This stay at home directive will subsist until the outstanding
salaries are paid and you receive a new directive from the
National Secretariat.”
The President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, also told
Sunday Tribune in an interview that the strike would be total
as the union has already mobilized its members at both
state and federal universities, adding that all the members
are in support of their action.