By Abdulyassar Abdulhamid
October 29, 2024
Mohammed Ibrahim, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has stated that the ongoing strike will only be called off when union members receive alerts confirming the payment of their owed salaries.
In an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today, Ibrahim explained that SSANU, alongside the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), initiated the strike due to the non-payment of four months’ salaries, which began Sunday night. He expressed frustration over what he described as the government shortchanging the unions, noting that their salaries have been stalled at the Ministry of Finance.
Ibrahim emphasized that while the union had attempted to engage with relevant ministers, the core issue remains the overdue salary payments. “We’ve made every effort to see the Minister of Finance, but to no avail,” he said.
He confirmed that discussions were planned with the former Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, at the behest of the new minister. However, Ibrahim stressed that mere meetings will not resolve the situation. “The issue is that we want payment, and every procedure has been followed. They can simply direct payment of the money,” he stated, asserting that a swift resolution could lead to a suspension of the strike.
When pressed on whether the strike would end only upon receiving payment alerts, Ibrahim affirmed, “That is it. Unless we get alerts, the strike continues.”
