Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities ( SSANU) has said that the Federal Government is to blame for the looming crisis in Nigerian Universities.

The Union said that the Federal government’s selective payment of universities lecturers the May, June, 2022 salaries arrears of ASUU members

Mr Adedeji Kazeem Suarau, SSANU Chairman, Federal University Lokoja in an interview with our correspondent in Lokoja on Thursday expressed dismay over the decision of the Federal Government to pay lecturers and leave out non- teaching staff , saying the government action smacks of injustice.

Recall that the Federal Government withheld Four Months Salaries of Non-Teaching Staff members of Nigerian Universities for participating in the strike in 2022.

All efforts to get the salaries paid failed during the administration of President Muhammed Buhari.

The Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU embarked on series of actions to get the salaries paid during this administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which have not yielded the desired results till now.

According to Suarau, “the unions hope were raised when the Federal Government promised to release Four Months Salaries withheld only for non teaching staff to excluded at the end of the day.

He said : ” We were more hopeful when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu pleaded with Governors to ensure all arrears of salary are paid to cushion the effects of economic hardship in the country during his last meeting with Governors.

” It appears the economic hardship in Nigerian Universities is only viewed through the lens of Academic Unions, because to our dismay, the salary arrears have been released to Teaching Staff only, leaving out Non Teaching Staff members.”

The FUL SSANU Chairman described the decision of the Federal Government to ay only academic staff and leave out non-teaching staff as gross injustice.

“This is injustice, and when there is injustice to some part of the system, there can not be peace in the whole system.

“If this injustice is not addressed as quickly as possible, the Federal Government should be blamed for any breakdown of industrial harmony in the Universities,” Suarau said.

He said that the unions will not fold their arms and allow the injustice which he said if not corrected immediately may plunge universities in fresh industrial crisis.