NASU, SSANU, embark on nationwide protest, urge FG to pay arrears

By Usman Shuaibu

The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of Educational and Associated Institutions as well as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) will today embark on three days nationwide warning strike, calling on the Federal Government to pay the arrears of minimum wage of their members.
The National president of NASU, Dr Makolo Hassan (JP), who made this known while speaking with newsmen after a peaceful protest being carried out by the staff of the unions at the University of Abuja, further charged the Government to pay the earned allowances of their members so as to put smiles on their faces.
He noted that since the staff enrolled into IPPIS, some of them had not been receiving their salaries regularly, calling on the government of the day to do something about it.
Hassan also expressed with dismay that some staff were not properly captured into IPPIS, as he said the IPPIS was not fair to the members of the unions in terms of salaries reduction/remittance.
He, however, lambasted the Federal Government over the sharing formula of N40 billion for the unions at the universities, saying that 75% was given to ASUU alone while 25% was doled out to the remaining unions.
The NASU president pointed out that the members of the unions would be peaceful throughout the duration of the strike.
Also speaking, the chairman of NASU at the University of Abuja Branch, Comrade Usman Dahiru Okolo, said after the three-days warning strike if the Government did not take any action, the unions would embark on indefinite strike.
Okolo said his leadership would continue to fight for the welfare of the members at all costs.