SSANU, NASU Embark on Indefinite Strike, Shut Down Federal University Lokoja
SSANU and NASU have embarked on an indefinite strike at Federal University Lokoja, shutting down the institution in line with a nationwide action over unpaid salaries. The unions are protesting the federal government's failure to pay four months of withheld wages and implement a previously signed agreement.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have commenced an indefinite strike at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Kogi State, in compliance with a nationwide industrial action declared by their national bodies.
During a visit by our correspondent to the institution on Monday, the Felele and Adankolo campuses of FUL were found deserted, as academic and administrative activities had been completely halted.
Speaking to journalists after a joint emergency congress held at the Felele campus, Comrade Adedeji Kasim Suara, the SSANU chairman at Federal University Lokoja, explained that the strike was necessitated by the failure of the federal government to pay four months of outstanding salaries and implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on August 20, 2022. He stated that the unions would not resume work until their demands were fully met.
"We are unhappy with how the Federal Government has been treating us. In 2022, our salaries were withheld for four months due to a previous strike, and even though the President has ordered that these salaries be paid, we are still waiting," Comrade Suara lamented. "While our sister union, ASUU, was paid 50 percent of their withheld salaries, we have received nothing. We demand the payment of our full four months' salaries before returning to work."
Echoing his sentiments, Comrade Abdulazeez Yusuf, the NASU chairman at FUL, criticized the federal government's disregard for the welfare of university staff, especially amid the ongoing economic challenges in the country.
"We have exercised enough patience with the government. Given the current economic situation, it is unacceptable to work for four months without being paid. The government must prioritize the education sector and address our grievances if they are serious about national development," he stated.
In a bid to ensure complete compliance with the strike, SSANU and NASU at Federal University Lokoja have established a task force to monitor and enforce the industrial action throughout the institution.
The indefinite strike has added to the existing challenges facing Nigeria's higher education sector, with the unions calling on the federal government to urgently address their demands to avoid prolonged disruption.
