UniAbuja NASU, SSANU Hold Protest Over Unpaid Salaries
UniAbuja's non-teaching staff, under NASU and SSANU, protested in Abuja over unpaid salaries and unfulfilled government agreements.
Mary Nwaeze 
Non-teaching staff members of Nigerian universities, under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), staged a protest in Abuja on Tuesday. The demonstration, aimed at addressing grievances over withheld salaries and unresolved issues, began at the University of Abuja’s Gwagwalada campus and concluded at the main campus on Airport Road.
Protesters carried placards with messages such as “Non-Teaching Staff are Important Stakeholders in the University” and “Pay us our sweat,” highlighting their frustrations over delayed payments and unmet promises. Addressing the media, Nurudeen Yusuf, Chairman of JAC Abuja Chapter and SSANU, expressed disappointment over the government’s failure to fulfill obligations dating back to March 2022. Despite assurances during President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 campaign to eradicate strikes and subsequent directives for salary payments, the situation remains unresolved.
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“We embarked on this protest to draw attention to issues affecting our welfare and university education, particularly the non-payment of our withheld four months’ salaries,” Yusuf stated. He criticized the selective implementation of presidential directives, which he claimed favored teaching staff over non-teaching counterparts.
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The protest highlights the ongoing discontent among non-teaching staff over unresolved salary issues and perceived unequal treatment compared to academic staff. Yusuf warned of escalating actions if the government continues to neglect their demands, hinting at a potential nationwide shutdown of university operations. He urged Ministerial intervention to prevent further disruption to academic activities and emphasized the need for equitable treatment and fulfillment of agreements to restore trust among university staff.
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SSANU and NASU further threatened further actions, including potential total shutdowns of universities, if their demands are not met promptly. They called on the Minister of Education and the Minister of Labour and Employment to take immediate action to address the grievances and prevent prolonged disruptions in academic activities.
As tensions escalate, stakeholders and government officials are urged to engage constructively to avert further disruptions in university operations nationwide.
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