SSANU picks next Monday to shut down varsities

Non-teaching workers, who are members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) say they have concluded arrangements to shut down necessary facilities in universities across the country over the federal government’s failure to pay their four months withheld salaries.

The workers, at the end of their National Executive Council meeting that was held at the weekend at Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State capital, specifically said they had picked March 18 (next Monday) to effect their actions in order to press home their demands.

Daily Trust had earlier reported how the Joint Action Committee, comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), threatened to lock up hostels, security posts, libraries, water tanks, light and others during the strike.

Rising from the meeting, SSANU President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim said, “What played out at today’s meeting clearly is that members have unanimously resolved that they will not accept this injustice meted on us, because there is no explanation that can scientifically or naturally be given to anyone as to why one group of our staff is paid and then the other three groups are left out.

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“Therefore, we have given the next one week where members will go back to their branches and sensitize our members. This time around, it is going to be a total strike. For seven days, there will be no water, no electricity, no medicals, no office work. Everybody will leave his office work until when those seven days are over.

“However, we are hopeful, we are prayerful, that the government listens and then does the needful because we also know that we have a responsibility for society, for the university and for our students. So, nobody should blame us if this thing happens, because we have given enough notice, we have made enough sensitization and we have contacted enough stakeholders.

“So, it’s going to be total, it is going to be a total blackout in our campuses all through Nigeria. In those seven days until when that money is paid.”