SSANU/NASU STRIKE: OAU CAMPUS HELD TO A STAND STILL AS STRIKING WORKERS PROTEST, INSIST FG HONORS THEIR DEMAND TO END THE STRIKE

Academic activities were on Wednesday paralyzed at the campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife following a protest staged by the university chapter members of the striking Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions NASU, shutting all the entrances leading to the institution.

Speaking with Ife City Blog, one of the striking worker who pleaded anonymity said the strike will continue as long as the Federal Government refused to honor their demands. According to the source, the two unions are on strike as a result of the government's refusal to grant their demands.

"What you're witnessing here today is a national problem As I speak with you in all Federal Universities of Nigeria we are having the scenario and this is as a result of Government's failure in all the agreements signed with Unions.

"As I speak with you the national leadership of SSANU and NASU are in Abuja to discuss the Memorandum of Understanding that was entered into by the Federal Government with the two unions. However, while that is going on, we have been mandated at every branch in all federal universities to carry on this trike and this is going to continue as long as the Government has not harkened to the yearnings of the unions.

" There is a particular platform that the Federal  Government introduced early last year. We call it IPPIS, Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System. We have been having series of challenges with this platform. There are some staff that have not been paid. Some check-off bills that are due to the Unions and cooperative societies and are yet to be remitted to the appropriate quarters.

"In 2009 there was an agreement entered into by the Federal Government based on several allowances and as I speak with you, the Federal Government is yet to honor that agreement.

"The recent one that was signed was the MoU of October 2020 that the Federal Government wad going to pay 30 Billion naira to the Non-teaching Staff unions in the universities but that hasn't be done".

Reacting to the alleged failure of the University Management to disburse the fund released by the Federal Government to the unions as being connected to the protest, the University's Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju described the incident as unfortunate and assured the matter will be resolved as, according to him, it is a family issue.

The two unions under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee, JAC had been on an indefinite strike for more than two weeks following the expiration of a three-day warning strike which elapsed on January 14 and the subsequent two weeks grace period during which no conclusion was reached between the government and the unions.