Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Ibadan chapter, on Tuesday, held a joint protest in Ibadan to press home their demands from the federal government.
The protest, which began from the university’s main gate and proceeded towards Ojoo along the Ojoo-UI road, led to a restriction in vehicular movement and ensured many residents were held in hours of traffic.
As early as 9:00a.m, the aggrieved university workers came out in large numbers, carrying placards with different inscriptions and demanding an urgent payment of their withheld four-month salaries.
Some of the placards read thus: ‘Release our withheld salaries’ and ‘Release our 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 promotion arrears.’
Addressing journalists during the protest, chairman of NASU, UI chapter, Oluwafemi Ogunlade Oluwafemi, acknowledged that the protest was as a result of the withheld four months salaries.
He said the Federal Government has refused to pay the outstanding salaries since 2020 and all efforts to get the money paid have proved abortive.
“We are the people working in the university and nobody is in the office. We are the ones that lock the offices, open lecture theatres and compute results. Without us nothing can work in the university,” Mr Ogunlade said.
He added that members’ salaries were withheld when the administration of immediate President, Muhammadu Buhari invoked the “no work, no pay” policy during a prolonged strike action in 2022.
He urged the government to address the demands and implement a living minimum wage to alleviate Nigerian workers’ economic burden.
The one-day protest is in compliance with the directive of the Joint Action Committee of SSANU that all members stage a nationwide peaceful protest across all state chapters.
Recall that university unions went on strike in 2022 because former President Buhari invoked the no-work, no-pay rule.
However, when President Bola Tinubu came on board, he pardoned and gave approval that the withheld salaries be paid. but to their dismay, their sister union, ASUU, members were paid while the other non-teaching staff were left out.
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