The National President of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), Makolo Hassan, spoke on News Central’s Jasiri on Tuesday about the troubling issue of unpaid salaries for workers in the education sector.
Hassan raised concerns about the inefficiencies that have caused money to be withheld, leading to serious problems for union members.
He pointed out that the impact of these unpaid salaries over the past four months has caused many members to face hardships.
In response to reports that over 80 members had sadly died while waiting for their payments, Hassan said these deaths may not be solely due to salary delays but also due to the wider economic crisis in the country.
He noted that when the salaries were due, the price of a bag of rice was around 60,000 naira, but it has now risen to over 100,000 naira.
“These four months withheld salary as at the time we’re supposed to be paid, a bag of rice was still going for about 60,000 or even less… We’re not asking for two months and by today a bag of rice is already 100,000 and even maybe above,” he said.
Hassan stressed that even if payments were made now, the money would not go far because of inflation. He emphasised that these workers deserve their earnings, which have been approved by the president, to help ease their financial difficulties.
“So even if this money is paid now, it goes to no issue, but at least it is their sweat and because the president has approved. They should be given their money to cushion the effect, and like we’re talking of students suffering. Most of these workers are parents, their children are in various schools, universities, and the money is not there,” he added.
Hassan stated that current salaries are not enough to cover basic needs, like car maintenance. He urged those in power to take immediate action and honour the promised payments, noting that past agreements have often been ignored.
He called for positive outcomes from these discussions and reiterated the need for the government to act swiftly on the salary issue.
“… with all this outing and with all that you guys in the media are doing, there should be something positive. We don’t want to believe that nothing will happen. Something will happen beyond agreement in the sense that we have various agreements that have been reneged.
“So going into another agreement now will not be the solution. If the president has said go ahead and pay, we want to appeal to those in authority, those in charge, those involved; kindly pay this money that can actually not do anything meaningful in the market today,” he said.
Background
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have commenced an indefinite strike at public universities to demand the immediate payment of their withheld salaries for the past four months.
In a joint statement, the unions expressed their disappointment over the government’s lack of action despite previous warnings.
They directed their members to hold a congress on October 28, 2024, and proceed with a total strike.
The unions have protested for months and accused the government of paying the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while ignoring their own members.