NASU, SSANU Protest at University of Ibadan, Threaten Nationwide Strike on July 18

Members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU) at the University of Ibadan (UI) staged a peaceful protest today, Tuesday.

The demonstration was in response to the government’s failure to release the four-month salaries owed to university workers during their strike in 2022. The protesters effectively blocked the busy UI-Sango road for nearly an hour, disrupting vehicular movement. 

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Leading the protest were Oluwafemi Michael Ogunlade, Chairman of NASU, and Abiodun Rasaq Omisore, Chairman of SSANU.

During the demonstration, NASU Chairman Ogunlade explained the context: “In Federal Universities, we have both teaching and non-teaching unions. ASUU represents the lecturers, while NASU and SSANU represent the non-teaching staff. However, we discovered that the Federal Government paid ASUU directly. Our grievances lie with the government because they are responsible for paying us, not ASUU.”

Ogunlade emphasized the disparity in treatment: , "And we embarked on the same strike and we even suspended our strike before then. Our strike was four months while their strike was eight months. If they fail to honour this agreement, we will go to Abuja on July 18, 2024, for a national protest."

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SSANU Chairman Omisore echoed similar sentiments:“We are promised by the government having followed due process but the government failed to honour the agreement. So, by July 18, 2024, we will move to Abuja for a national strike.”