The continuing warning strike launched into by the Senior Workers Affiliation of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Tutorial Workers Union (NASU) has continued to trigger important disruptions to educational actions in lots of universities throughout the nation.
The unions on Monday commenced a seven-day strike to press dwelling their calls for, which embody cost of withheld salaries and re-negotiation of the 2009 settlement. The 2 unions berated the federal authorities for paying withheld salaries to the Tutorial Workers Union of Universities (ASUU) whereas neglecting the non-academic unions.
All of the college unions had launched into an eight-month strike in 2022 to press dwelling a few of their calls for together with a greater welfare package deal.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari then invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay coverage’ in opposition to the unions however President Bola Tinubu final October accredited the discharge of 4 of the eight months withheld salaries.
Nevertheless, SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, accused the federal authorities of unfair therapy and discrimination in opposition to non-academic unions by failing to pay them like their educational counterparts.
Members of the Nationwide Affiliation of Tutorial Technologists (NAAT) additionally joined the strike yesterday, resulting in additional disruptions in educational actions, such because the closure of laboratories and ICT centres.
Our reporters noticed that college entrances have been barricaded, and electrical energy provide was disconnected in lots of establishments nationwide.
BUK college students missed exams
The placing unions Wednesday shut down the primary gate of Bayero College, Kano (BUK), a growth that prevented college students writing exams and different workers from gaining entrance into the varsity premises.
It was gathered that many college students missed their exams because the protesting workers opened the college gates hours later.
NAAT shuts Unimaid labs, ICT centre
NAAT’s chairman on the College of Maiduguri, Comrade Yusuf Dalhatu Bulus, instructed newsmen Wednesday that the varsity’s laboratories and ICT centre have been shut in compliance with the resolutions of the affiliation’s digital convention held on March 13.
“All laboratories have been shut down, there shall be no educating of practicals, no undertaking and analysis works,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the strike would proceed for 3 days except the federal government addressed the grievances raised by the affiliation.
Aside from cost of withheld salaries, Bulus mentioned different calls for have been the improve of out of date gear and bettering the dilapidated structural state of laboratories.
UNILAG gates blocked, college students denied entry to labs in FUT Minna
Members of the unions additionally staged a peaceable protest on the College of Lagos and blocked the varsity’s essential entrance.
The event left many college students and lecturers stranded and vehicular motion across the faculty space obstructed.
On the Federal College of Know-how, Minna, Niger State, members of NAAT shut down all laboratories, workshops and studios, denying college students entry to practicals.
The department chairman of NAAT, Sulayman Shuayb mentioned that gear within the studios, laboratories and workshops have been out of date, making it tough for them to take college students by means of practicals successfully.
“We, within the laboratories, studios and workshops, undergo extra from the deplorable gear in our universities. A lot of the gear are out of date, and a few of them should not working.
“We’ve made our calls for, asking the federal government to equip our laboratories with state-of-the-art gear in order that college students can be taught correctly.
“You don’t anticipate college students to be taught something with out of date gear that doesn’t work once more or chemical compounds that won’t provide you with a greater end result,” he mentioned.
The President of the College students’ Union Authorities (SUG), FUT Minna, Eze Christian Nnabuike, mentioned the strike was affecting the efficiency of scholars.
The vice chancellor of the college, Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta, mentioned the college administration would do every little thing doable to make sure that the strike didn’t have a lot influence on educational actions.
Library locked in Unilorin, UniJos stinks
Findings by our correspondent on the College of Ilorin confirmed that the varsity’s library was closed whereas water and electrical energy have been interrupted.
“The library was locked when a few of us visited. Essentially the most affected are those that don’t have the means to get costly textbooks and depend on supplies from the varsity library,” a pupil mentioned.
It was additionally gathered that many ongoing initiatives within the faculty had been stalled because of the strike.
Contractors dealing with ongoing jobs mentioned they haven’t been in a position to proceed as a result of those that would facilitate the cost are on strike.
College students of the College of Jos (UniJos) have lamented that for the reason that strike commenced, the college surroundings has been trying unkempt and stinking as cleaners withdrew companies.
A pupil of Economics, who merely recognized herself as Abigail, mentioned their college is now with out water, inflicting bogs to stink.
A final-year pupil of Microbiology mentioned their sensible work has been disrupted for the reason that strike commenced, as there have been no personnel within the lab to take care of them.
A pupil of Federal College, Lokoja, Kogi State, Kemi Adebola, mentioned the unions’ strike has considerably affected each exercise within the faculty, interesting to the federal authorities to intervene shortly.
Exams ongoing in Taraba varsities
College students and workers on the Taraba State College, Jalingo and Federal College, Wukari, mentioned educational actions have been happening easily regardless of the continuing strike by SSANU, NASU and NAAT.
“Right this moment our college students have began their examinations and the strike motion didn’t have an effect on the conduct of the examinations,” a workers of Federal College, Wukari, Mr Yakubu Silas instructed Each day Belief.
Nevertheless, a member of the NASU on the Taraba State College, Jalingo, mentioned ought to the federal government failed to fulfill their calls for by subsequent week, they are going to shut down the varsity.
The North Central Zonal Coordinator and Chairman of NAAT in Federal College, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Comrade Kenneth Onuh, appealed to most of the people, well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations and all stakeholders to prevail on the federal authorities to pay members of the affiliation their withheld salaries, or maintain the federal government answerable for any disruption of educational actions in establishments.
Strike causes pupil’s dying in Ekiti
A pupil of the Federal College, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), who was asthmatic, misplaced his life because of the ongoing industrial motion by SSANU) and NASU, officers have mentioned. The college’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Tajudeen Opoola, disclosed this on Tuesday whereas addressing journalists alongside different high principal officers.
Opoola mentioned that the asthmatic pupil died as a result of he couldn’t instantly entry medical care, because the college had been put beneath lock and key.
The administration accused SSANU of complicity within the whole shutdown of actions within the establishment.
“We misplaced a pupil who had bronchial asthma this morning as a result of he couldn’t be taken to our clinic. The power is beneath lock and key. It’s true that college students are on vacation, however not all of them dwell on campus. It will have been simpler for the scholar to be rushed to our clinic for pressing therapy, however even our college gate was locked.
“Simply this morning, I used to be on the Ekiti State College (EKSU), and the executive block was open. Persons are going about their regular duties; it’s possible you’ll go there to verify. I’m utilizing EKSU for example as a result of it’s the closest so far as this surroundings is worried. In EKSU right now, the clinic is functioning. Whole or complete strike is just not happening there.
“However the identical management of EKSU SSANU went on air yesterday to incite the general public, and even led some hoodlums to invade and occupy our establishment based mostly on a false narrative that he was fed with by the chairman, SSANU, FUOYE chapter,” Mr Opoola mentioned.
From Salim U. Ibrahim (Kano), Hamisu Okay. Matazu (Maiduguri), Yvonne Ugwuezuoha (Lagos), Abubakar Akote (Minna), Mumini Abdulkareem (Ilorin), Dickson S. Adama (Jos), Tijani Labaran (Lokoja), Umar Muhammed (Lafia) & Magaji l. Hunkuyi (Jalingo)
