According to reports from Vanguard, the much-anticipated meeting between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has ended in deadlock, setting the stage for a series of protests by University workers across the country.
The meeting, convened by the Ministry of Education, was aimed at addressing the unions' demand for the payment of four months of withheld salaries, a long-standing grievance that has been a source of tension in the education sector.
However, according to sources, the engagement with the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, failed to yield any concrete commitments from the government, leaving the unions disappointed and ready to mobilize their members for action.
"The meeting did not achieve anything as the Minister only promised to take our matter to a higher authority, perhaps the President," a source familiar with the discussions told Vanguard.
Angered by the government's perceived insensitivity to their concerns, the JAC of SSANU and NASU have now directed all their branches to convene a general meeting on Monday, July 8th, to sensitize members on the situation and mobilize them for a one-day protest on Tuesday, July 9th.
This will be followed by a national protest in Abuja on July 18th, after which the unions have threatened to embark on a full-blown strike if their demands are not met.
The four-month salary witholding saga dates back to the prolonged strike action undertaken by University-based unions, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), in 2022.
The Buhari administration had invoked the 'No Work, No Pay' policy, leading to the withholding of salaries for several months.
While President Bola Tinubu had subsequently granted amnesty and approved the payment of the withheld salaries, ASUU was the only union to have received the funds, leaving SSANU, NASU, and NAAT still awaiting their due, a development that has further exacerbated tensions within the University system.