The University of Ibadan chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union, University (NASU), on Monday, staged a peaceful protest to demand N30 billion earn allowance and Federal Government’s refusal to obey court judgment on staff school salaries.
The three-day protest, which began on Monday, started at the main gate of the university and affected smooth vehicular movements in and out of the school as work activities were paralysed.
On the placards of the protesters were inscriptions like: “We demand N30 billion to pay part of our earned allowance now”; “FG stop provoking inter union crises in Nigerian universities”; FG, please obey court judgment on staff school,” among others.
The Chairman, UI, SSANU, Wale Akinremi, flanked by other union leaders, said any nation that treats teachers the way “we treat ours in Nigeria will never be destined for greatness.”
Akinremi said the 3-day protest would be followed by a branch protest and the ‘mother of all protests’ at the national level which would shake the corridors of power to its foundation.
Last week, the national bodies of both unions had frowned at the alleged preferential treatment extended to ASUU by the Federal Government as seen in the allocation of 80 percent of monies released, leaving the non academic staff with 20 percent.
In a resolution reached after its meeting, read by the Chairman of JAC and National President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, the non teaching university workers rejected the 20 percent Earned Allowance allocated to the three non teaching unions.
JAC called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, release N30 billion Earned Allowance of non teaching staff within the period of 2009 to 2016.
