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The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities(SSANU) and the Non Academic Staff Union(NASU), University of Ibadan branch on Monday commenced a three day protest in compliance with the directive of the Joint Action Committe(JAC) of both unions.
The protesting workers shut down part of the main gate of the institution thereby hindering smooth vehicular movements in and out of the school premises.
It would be recalled that the JAC of both unions had on Friday directed its members to commence a three-day protest in all the universities to press home their demands.
The protesting workers were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We demand N30 billion to pay part of our earned allowance now”; “FG stop provoking inter-union crises in Nigerian universities” “FG, please obey court judgment on staff school,” among others.
Some of the demands of the unions are payment of outstanding N30billion earned allowances; the preferential treatment extended to ASUU by the Federal Government as seen in the allocation of 80 per cent of funds released to them as earned allowances while the non-academic staff unions got the remaining 20 percent; the exclusion of their members from the administration of National University Pension Company and alleged refusal of government to obey court judgment on staff school salaries.
Speaking during the protest, the SSANU Chairman, UI, Wale Akinremi, flanked by other union leaders, stated that “any nation that treats workers the way we treat ours in Nigeria will never be destined for greatness.”
Akinremi said the three-day protest would be followed by a branch protest and the “mother of all protests” at the national level.