'Let us breathe, pay us now' - How SSANU, NASU protest waka across di kontri
Members of di Non Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and di Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (SSANU) don do protest for dia different universities across di country sake of di plenty gbese wey dem tok say goment dey owe dem.
Dis protest na di first part of planned di industrial actions wey di unions agree say dem go do bifor dem go start indefinite strike if goment no listen to dem.
Di unions go ahead wit di protest even after reports from di ministry of Education, say afta a meeting wit di union leaders on Monday, dem agree to cancel di protest.
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But di Ssanu and Nasu leadership tok say dia meetings wit di minister no provide any concrete assurance say goment go pay dem dia money.
BBC monitor di protests for di University of Ibadan - Oyo State; Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta - Ogun State, Federal University of Technology, Akure - Ondo State, Bayero University, Kano - Kano State, and di University of Abuja.
Many of di workers carry placards and match around di university premises to call of di President Tinubu administration to pay dia salary.
Na on Friday, 5 July, di leadership of NASU and SSANU bin threaten to embark on a nationwide protest on Tuesday and Thursday, July 9 and 11, bifor dem go later “meet to announce date wen di strike go start.”
Dem dey protest ova di four-month salaries wey dem say di goment dey owe dem.
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Di unions bin say dem go do a nationwide protest on Tuesday and Thursday, July 9 and 11, bifor dem go "meet to announce a date wen strike go start".
E neva reach two years wey di public university system for Nigeria dey on lockdown for eight months in 2022 sake of strike.
During im presidential campaign in 2022, President Bola Tinubu bin promise say university strikes go be a thing of di past, dis fit be a test of dat promise more dan one year after e take office.
SSANU, NASU dey allege discriminatory treatment
SSANU and NASU na di two non-academic unions wey dey work for universities for Nigeria, and dem don dey complain say di goment dey favour di lecturers union pass dem.
For instance, during di 2022 strike wey last for eight months, di Buhari goment dat time bin tok say dem go implement di 'no work, no pay' policy. So for di eight months, dem no pay both Asuu, Ssanu, and Nasu members.
Wen President Bola Tinubu take ova, e meet wit di university workers and promise say im go pay dem di eight months wey Buhari goment no gree pay.
However, goment don already pay di Asuu members four months out of di eight months, but dem no pay Ssanu and Nasu members.
For March dis year, di Ssanu and Nasu members bin go on strike for one week to ask di goment to treat dem as dem dey treat dia Asuu colleagues.
Nurudeen Taiye Yusuf, di chairman of Ssanu for di University of Abuja, tell BBC Pidgin dat time say dem no dey happy wit di "discriminatory treatment" wey goment dey give to dem.
"Our work dey as important as di Asuu members. If we no dey, water no go run for di universities, light no go dey, security no go dey, di environment no go clean. So how professor go flush im toilet if water no dey run? How students go dey secure for dia hostels if security pipo no work? Who go run di university clinic if pesin fall sick?" Oga Yusuf tok.
"So goment no suppose dey treat us as second-class pipo, we get professionals among us and our work matter. Na all of us follow go strike in 2022, how e be say na one set of pipo goment pay and leave di odas?"
On Sunday, di national body of Ssanu and Nasu release one statement wia dem tok say all dia engagement wit di Minister of Education and di permanent secretary of di ministry neva bring any positive result.
“Unfortunately, di engagement wit di Minister of Education no show any convincing commitment on di payment of di withheld salaries and resolutions of oda pending grievances of di two unions," di statement tok.
"A one-day protest go happen on Tuesday, 9th July 2024 for each branch... (and) a national protest go happen for Abuja on Thursday, 18th July, 2024, after dat di JAC go meet to announce a date wen di strike go start."
Asuu still dey ginger
Meanwhile, di Academic Staff Union of Universitie, Asuu also publish one open letter for newspaper, wia dem call goment to fulfil di promises wey dem make to dem.
Asuu members bin don dey do protests for dia various universities, and dis protest make goment to call dem for meeting wey go happen on July 25.
Prof Emmanuel Osodeke wey bi Asuu chairman tell tori pipo say some of di promises include:
- Di release of di three and a half months salary wey remain from di 2022 strike
- Release of salaries of staff members on sabbatical leave, part-time and adjunct appointments
- Fundig for revitalisation of public universities
- Issue of earned allowances
- Introduction of di University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAPS) payment system, to replace di Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)... among other tins.
Strikes dey very common for Nigeria universities as na one of di tools unions dey use press home dia demands like poor funding of di institutions.
For di 2024 budget, di federal goment bin allocate N1.54 trillion to di education sector.
Dis na only 6.39% of di total budget of N27.5 trillion, and even though e dey bigger dan di N1.08 trillion wey di sector bin get for di 2023 budget, e still dey far below di 15% wey Unesco recommend.
More fotos from di nationwide protest on Tuesday
