9th July 2024
The leadership of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, University of Ibadan, on Tuesday, led their members on a peaceful protest at the main entrance of the Institution.
The protesters blocked UI-Sango ever busy road for almost one hour and disrupted vehicular movement.
They carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘Federal Government should honour 2009 agreement made with the Union,’ ‘Nigeria workers are hungry,’ ‘JAC demands immediate release of earned allowances from 2013 till date,’ ‘Tinubu once promised us cassava, but now Garri is no longer available’, and ‘SSANU demands 4 months withheld salary’ among others.
They were led by both the Chairmen of NASU and SSANU, Oluwafemi Michael Ogunlade and Abiodun Rasaq Omisore, respectively.
Speaking during the protest, NASU Chairman, Ogunlade said: “You know in the Federal Universities, we have non-teaching union, we have teaching union. NASU, SSANU and ASUU. ASUU are the lecturers while NASU and SSANU are non-teaching staff.
“But what we discovered was that the Federal Government paid ASUU. I don’t have anything against ASUU. We are all working here (UI).
“But our grievances are against the government because it is not ASUU that paid themselves, it is the Federal Government that paid them.
“And we embarked on the same strike and we even suspended our strike before then. Our strike was four months while their strike was eight months.
“If they fail to honour this agreement, we will go to Abuja on July 18, 2024, for a national protest.”
Also corroborating NASU chairman, SSANU Chairman, Omisore said: “We are promised by the government having followed due process, but the government failed to honour the agreement. So, by July 18, 2024, we will move to Abuja for a national strike.”
Credit: The Punch
