Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and that of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) are currently gathered at the Unity Fountain Abuja, protesting the non payment of their four-month salaries.
The protest is being led by the President of SSANU, Mohammed Aruna Ibrahim and General Secretary of NASU, Comrade Peters Adeyemi.
Both unions are aggrieved that, despite a directive by the President that the four-month arrears be paid, only members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) got paid, leaving out SSANU and NASU members.
However, a mild drama ensued at the Unity Fountain as stern looking security personnel prevented the protesters from leaving the convergence point.
After some agitations by the protesters, the gate was left open, and the protesters have now blocked the entrance to the Unity Fountain with their trucks.
The protesters are demanding the payment of their four months’ withheld salaries and the renegotiation of the 2010 agreement with the Federal Government among other demands.
The unions as well as the Academic Staff Union of Universities had in 2022 embarked on a long strike. While SSANU and NASU had a four-month strike, the ASUU strike lasted eight months.
However, President Bola Tinubu directed that the affected staff be paid four-month salaries, SSANU and NASU members claimed the wages were not paid, while ASUU members were paid.
Both unions have instructed their members to stage a nationwide protest on July 9 across all state chapters, with a follow-up national protest scheduled for Abuja on Thursday.