By Comrade Ogunlade Oluwafemi, Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, University of Ibadan branch, has accused the federal government of Nigeria of being lackadaisical in addressing the demands of the non-teaching staff, warning that the union is ready to embark on a nationwide strike.
Speaking with AfrikTimes on Tuesday, April 28, following the NASU-UI Congress, Ogunlade explained that while sisters union have gotten favourable responses and implementation of agreements, both monetary and non-monetary, NASU members are yet to get a concete response from the government.
He further noted that several demands contained in the 2009 agreement remain unfulfilled, and as such, the union is prepared to embark on a comprehensive strike to press home it’s demands.
“The federal government is not being sincere with us. They are dragging, deceiving and enticing us. We gave them an ultimatum that if by the end of this month, April 30th, they are yet to sign and begin implementation, the best language that the government understands is strike and we will give it to them. It will be a comprehensive strike until the government responds,” he stated.
While addressing the Congress, Ogunlade disclosed that the national Congress has resolved to proceed on an indefinite strike by April 30 if the federal government fails to accede to their demands. He listed key demands to include a 40% salary increase across all levels, prompt payment of salaries, and settlement of accumulated arrears, among others. He also clarified that the alleged report of a 30% increment does not reflect the union’s position.
In a related struggle, NASU, in collaboration with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has also been at loggerheads with the University of Ibadan management over what they described as unfair treatment of workers, welfare concerns, and a nonchalant attitude towards union matters. The unions staged a three-day protest on April 17, 20, and 21 under the Joint Action Congress to draw attention to their grievances.
“We believe we ought to be meeting with the management at least four times in a year to sit on the roundtable and table our concerns. For the past three years, they have not given the union that opportunity to meet with them. We also wrote to them, but there was no response. The only thing we could do was to protest such inaction,” he told AfrikTimes.
He added that although the management eventually invited the union for a meeting before the protest, the notice came too late to halt the planned action.
“Before the protest they called for a meeting, which was too late because we had already agreed to go on with the protest before we got the letter. The notice didn’t stop us,” he siad.
On the outcome of the protest, Ogunlade revealed that a meeting was held with the management immediately after the demonstration, during which assurances were given. However, up to the time of this interview, no response had been gotten from the management.
“Immediately after the protest on Tuesday we held a meeting with the management. They promise us and we’re still looking forward. They assured us that by Monday they would have concluded, but up to this moment, we have not heard anything from them.
“We know they have been having a series of meetings, including a Senate sitting all through yesterday. But today we are also having a Congress, which will not allow us to meet them even if they call. We are still expecting a response,” he added.
Latest update on the NASU Strike
In a latest development, PunchNG reported on Tuesday, April 28, that the Federal Government has invited the leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) to a crucial meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in a bid to avert the looming strike.
According to Punch report, the planned industrial action stems from a dispute over the proposed 30 per cent salary increase announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa. Although both unions confirmed receiving the invitation and expressed readiness to attend the meeting, they maintained that their ultimatum still stands.
