Armed police officers stopped members of the Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) from protesting about their unpaid salaries at Unity Fountain in Abuja.
The police, equipped with armoured vehicles, blocked the entrance and told the protesters they could not continue without giving any reason. The union members were stuck inside the venue when the report was made.
NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, told the press that the authorities had been informed about the planned protest set for Thursday.
This protest was part of a series of demonstrations organized by NASU and SSANU, starting the previous Tuesday in different states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to express their frustration over the delayed salaries from the Federal Government.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), which represents both NASU and SSANU, has been struggling with long-standing issues about welfare and university education in Nigeria.
Back in March 2022, the unions went on strike because the government did not honor several agreements. In 2023, President Bola Tinubu ordered the payment of the outstanding salaries and the removal of universities from the IPPIS platform.
However, nine months after the president’s directive, the unions criticized the Federal Government for only paying some of the withheld salaries and leaving out their members.
