The National Labour Congress (NLC), an umbrella organisation for trade unions in Nigeria, started a two-day nationwide protest on Tuesday, July 26, against the federal government’s inability to end a five-month university strike, giving it an ultimatum to resolve issue within two weeks, or expect further protests.
The protest was organised to support the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and students who have not been able to attend lectures for five months because of the strike.
Colleges of education, polytechnics and universities have been closed for all this time.
The ASUU embarked on the strike in February in protest against the federal government’s failure to honour an agreement on issues relating to funding of universities, and lecturers’ salaries and allowances. The government has still not resolved the issues and took a stance of no work-no pay, so educators have not been paid for five months.
Umar Bukar, the NLC vice-chairman told RNI reporter Ummi Fatima Baba Kyari on Tuesday that the congress had embarked on the strike, which was nationwide, after a number of meetings to negotiate a way round the problem had failed. All communication with the government up until now had ended in deadlock.
The NLC, which comprises about 40 unions, wants the government to sit down and talk to the ASUU to find a lasting solution.
Bukar said there were protests around the country on Tuesday, including in Maiduguri, and the NLC had held a large protest in the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Wednesday, July 27.
The NLC said it was not fair to young people that they should miss out on learning.
Channels TV said the strike today started at 9.30 as members converged on the Unity Fountain in the nation’s capital. Among those present were Ayuba Wabba, the NLC president, professor Emmanuel Osodeke, the ASUU president, and professor Biodun Ogunyemi, the immediate past president of the ASUU.
It said various affiliated unions attended.
The NLC had faulted the government’s handling of the industrial action that had crippled activities in public institutions.
It called on the government to pay the salaries of the striking workers, which it said had “been frozen on the premise of the so-called ‘no work-no pay’ policy”.
Wabba, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, warned the government to brace for a three-day nationwide strike if the crisis was left unresolved.
“The protest first is to show our concern and to also call for urgent action to resolve the issues. We took two levels of decision,” he said while highlighting the importance of the protest.
“First is the national protest to call for attention and for the issues to be resolved promptly, and the next level is a three-day national warning strike if nothing has happened after the protest to show our grievances.”
UMMI FATIMA BABA KYARI
