ASUU Strike: NAAT, NASU and SSANU To Join Counterpart Soon

There are strong indications that other
university workers: National Association of
Academic Technologists (NAAT),Non-
Academic Staff of Nigeria Universities
(NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of
Nigeria Universities (SSANU), may resume
their strike over the non-implementation of
their own 2009 agreement with the Federal
Government
Unless the Federal Government invites the
unions for a negotiation, they may join
their counterparts in the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) which has
been on strike for almost one month,
thereby paralysing various academic
activities in Nigeria’s universities.
Addressing reporters in Abuja recently on
the looming strike action, NASU President,
Comrade Mrs. Ladi IIiya, called on well-
meaning Nigerians to prevail on
government to implement the agreement it
freely enter into with the workers to avoid
plunging the nation’s universities into
another round of needless crisis.
She said the unions had exercise restraint
in embarking on strike in the interest of the
students, government and in protection of
good academic standard the Nigerian
universities had come to be noted for in
the recent time.
“As responsible unions who are sensitive
to public opinions and have interest of
students and the national interest at
heart, we have been wary of strike
action in the past and have done
everything humanly possible to sustain
industrial peace in our universities even
in the face of government insensitivity
and pressure from our members.
“However, it appears as if government is
taking our understanding for granted,
thereby putting us under unbearable
pressure from our members whose
patience is fast running out. It is in the
light of this that JAC is calling on well-
meaning Nigerians as a matter of
urgency to prevail on government to
address all burning issues within the
shortest possible time, failure of which
we may not be able to continue to hold
our members back from resuming our
earlier suspended strike action without
notice,” she said.
Citing examples of some of the breaches,
IIiya stated that Federal Government failed
to honour agreement on a systemic
increase in the funding of the universities
by releasing N100billion yearly to federal
universities consecutively for four years
effective from January, 2012.
According to her, more than one year that
the circular on it was released, government
has not made available a kobo in respect of
the undertaking.
Other contending issues, she further stated,
include the refusal to pay earned
allowances as agreed and the lopsidedness
in the composition of the committee which
produced the Needs Assessment Report.