The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have declared a one-day nationwide protest slated for Thursday, October 9, to press home their demands over unpaid entitlements.

The decision, taken under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), followed what the unions described as the Federal Government’s persistent failure to address key labour issues despite several ultimatums.

In a circular dated October 6 and jointly signed by NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the unions directed all branches to hold emergency congresses on Wednesday, October 8, to mobilise members for the mass action.

The unions listed their grievances to include the alleged discriminatory disbursement of ₦50 billion Earned Allowances, delay in the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU agreements, unpaid two months’ salaries, arrears of 25 and 35 percent salary increases, and unpaid third-party deductions for May and June 2022.

JAC noted that meetings with the Ministry of Education’s Joint Consultative Committee yielded no tangible results, prompting the latest protest directive.

“All NASU and SSANU members in federal and state universities are to participate fully. Compliance is mandatory,” the memo stated.

SSANU President Ibrahim had earlier warned that failure by the government to resolve the issues could lead to a “grandfather of all strikes,” stressing that university non-academic workers had been “financially, economically, and psychologically battered.”

Both unions have been in long-running disputes with the Federal Government over welfare and funding matters affecting non-teaching staff across universities.