SSANU Vows Shutdown Of Varsities As Union Holds Nationwide Protest Tuesday

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to shut down universities across the nation and embark on a nationwide protest on Tuesday to press home its demands.

SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have been in talks with the Federal Government over the four months’ salary arrears owed their members.

LEADERSHIP recalls that SSANU had few months ago embarked on a warning and most recently issued to the government, a two-week ultimatum to meet its demands.

The union is however accusing the Federal Government of making promises and not matching words with action, threatening to cripple activities on campuses nationwide if their demands are not met.

“So, as very responsible leaders, what we have decided to do is that by Tuesday next week, that will be the 9th of July, we have directed our branches to hold protests all over the country in our branches to tell the world that something definitely is wrong somewhere. That protest will take place in all our campuses,” SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim said on Channels Television’s on Friday.

“And then, we will continue with the engagements. And then we will also have a grand protest in Abuja on the 18th of July where we will picket the office of the Minister of Education, the Minister of Labour who has not even shown any sign of seriousness on the matter,” he added.

According to Ibrahim, if after the protests, the group’s demands are unmet, they will take the next action.

“So at the moment, we have declared that we will protest at the branches, and then we will have a grand protest in Abuja.

“And thereafter, we will go on a full-blown strike that will be total, comprehensive, indefinite, and without any concession,” he said.