The Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has confirmed that it has yet to receive any formal communication from the government regarding its ongoing strike over four months of withheld salaries.
The indefinite strike, which began on Monday, has brought university activities across the country to a halt.
Abdussobur Salaam, the National Vice-President of SSANU, shared an update on Tuesday evening, stating, “There’s no update on the ongoing strike; it continues. Some informal contacts were made between the minister of state for education and our union executives, but there’s been no real progress, just an informal appeal.”
Salaam expressed frustration over unfulfilled promises from the government, adding, “This issue has persisted for a long time, with repeated promises that have not been fulfilled. All our ultimatums have expired, and we still haven’t received any payments.”
He further emphasized that recent communication from the government was not an official invitation but a casual phone call, which has not addressed the unions’ grievances.
“The recent invitation was merely an informal call on the phone. We urge the authorities to take decisive action; we have come too far and can no longer accept empty promises. If we don’t receive our payments, we won’t back down,” Salaam said.
The unions have indicated they will remain on strike until their demands for payment are met, calling on the government to take substantial steps to resolve the dispute.
