Nigeria’s Non-Academic University Staff Threaten Industrial Disruption Over Withheld Salaries

Non-academic staff members across Nigerian universities have voiced strong dissatisfaction with the federal government’s failure to disburse their nearly six months’ withheld salaries, contrasting it with the partial payment received by their academic counterparts.

Represented by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU), the workers lamented what they perceive as blatant injustice and a disregard for their welfare.

SSANU’s National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, expressed deep frustration, stating, “It is sheer injustice that one group has been settled while we are continually strung along with empty promises. We’ve had enough of this charade. Our members are disillusioned by the government’s perpetual delays and unfulfilled assurances.”

Similarly, NAAT’s National President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, disclosed their interaction with the National Assembly, which initially pledged intervention but has yet to yield tangible results. “We’re reaching a breaking point. After the Sallah break, we intend to escalate our protest to the Minister of Education. This situation cannot persist,” he emphasized.

Condemning the disparity in salary disbursement, NASU’s National Secretary, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, criticized the government’s handling of the issue. “It is grossly unfair. We’ve been patient for far too long. The academic staff received partial payment while we were neglected. This imbalance cannot sustain the university system,” Adeyemi asserted.

The withheld salaries stem from strikes initiated by university staff unions in 2022, where academic staff received partial payments earlier this year, leaving non-teaching staff uncompensated despite similar actions. President Bola Tinubu had previously ordered the payments last October, yet implementation has been delayed.

In response to the ongoing crisis, Education Minister Prof. Mamman Tahir had indicated that only half of the salaries would be disbursed, a decision that has exacerbated tensions within the university workforce.

With frustration mounting and industrial harmony at risk, the non-academic staff unions are preparing to convene a meeting of their National Executive Committees to decide on further actions, highlighting the urgency of resolving this protracted salary dispute.

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