By Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) at the Federal University Otuoke (FUO) on Thursday staged a peaceful protest, demanding that the Federal Government urgently address their long-standing grievances or face a nationwide shutdown of universities.
In solidarity with their counterparts across the country, FUO union members marched around the campus, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with inscriptions demanding fair treatment, payment of third-party deductions, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment of ₦40 billion earned allowance, and clearance of 25% and 35% salary arrears.
The protest, according to the unions, was to draw attention to the government’s failure to fulfill agreements and commitments reached with them. Their grievances include the unequal distribution of ₦50 billion in earned allowances, the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–SSANU/NASU Agreement, non-payment of two months’ salaries from 2022, arrears of salary increments, and unpaid third-party deductions for May and June 2022.
Addressing journalists after the protest, FUO SSANU Branch Chairman and JAC Chairman, Comrade Oye Ake, accused the government of discriminating against non-academic staff in the allocation of funds. He said out of ₦50 billion allocated for earned allowances, only ₦10 billion went to non-teaching unions, while ASUU received ₦40 billion, which he described as sheer injustice.
Ake also criticized the government for failing to review salaries and allowances since 2009, despite multiple committees being set up for that purpose. He said the arrears of the 25% salary increment remain unpaid, adding that many members are heavily indebted because they took loans expecting these payments. He warned that the government must act immediately, or the unions would be forced to shut down the entire university system.
FUO NASU Branch Chairman, Comrade Johnny Godwin, echoed the same concerns, insisting that the unions would not back down until all entitlements are paid. He said the protest is a clear message to the government about their frustration and that the unions would not stop until their demands are met.
The protest highlights growing discontent among university non-teaching staff, with the JAC warning that failure by the Federal Government to address these issues could trigger a nationwide strike that would further disrupt Nigeria’s university system.
