SSANU Gives FG 4-Week Ultimatum Over Slow Renegotiation

With the four-week deadline set by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and several unions in tertiary institutions coming to a close, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has expressed deep frustration over the slow progress of government negotiations regarding their requests.

On October 20, the NLC, along with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), gave the Federal Government a four-week deadline to address ongoing issues.

However, several unions have shared their disappointment due to the lack of advancement after these four weeks.

In an interview with Vanguard on Wednesday, SSANU President Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim criticized the government’s apparent insincerity in meeting their demands, especially regarding the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement.

Comrade Ibrahim, who is also the Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) made up of SSANU and NASU, noted that although discussions with the government have officially restarted, the pace of progress is very slow.

“We met with government representatives, and they asked us to resubmit our demands, which we did three weeks ago. However, there has been no further discussion or acknowledgment since then,” he said.

When asked about their next steps after the deadline expires, Ibrahim said the decisions would depend on the NLC leadership.

Ibrahim pointed out increasing challenges, especially concerning the government’s plan to lease or outsource jobs typically held by university staff.

“This is a potential crisis. We will hold our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Jos in early December to discuss this matter and come up with a strong response to the government,” he stated.

He criticized the government for inadequate funding of universities and warned that outsourcing jeopardizes job security and raises costs, as outsourced employees must be paid for their services.

Ibrahim also highlighted the government’s current push to create new universities despite claims of financial shortage, calling this situation contradictory and dishonest.

He emphasized that outsourcing essential university services—like hostel management, staff housing, healthcare, maintenance, and security—could revive past problems.

He recalled that a previous attempt to outsource security during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s era was eventually reversed due to its failure.

The SSANU president dismissed the government’s recent distribution of questionnaires to university staff, labeling them “absurd” and advising members not to complete them, suggesting a lack of trust in the process.

With rising insecurity, tough economic conditions, and infrastructure problems affecting staff welfare, Comrade Ibrahim warned that unions will not stay inactive.

He urged the government to reconsider its approach and engage genuinely with workers to settle the ongoing conflicts in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

SSANU Gives FG 4-Week Ultimatum Over Slow Renegotiation

SSANU Gives FG 4-Week Ultimatum Over Slow Renegotiation

Leave a Reply Cancel reply