The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Education Institutions (NASU) have agreed to suspend their five-month-old strike on Saturday.

The unions agreed to suspend the strike after meeting with the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, in Abuja on Saturday.

The unions agreed to suspend the strike for two months which will take effect from August 24. 

Mohammed Ibrahim, president of SSANU, who confirmed the development, said that the strike had been suspended for 60 days. 

“We have only suspended the strike for 60 days. Although, the suspension will only take effect starting on Wednesday, August 24. But we have agreed to resume the strike after 60 days if the federal government fails on its promises,” the SSANU president told Peoples Gazette. 

In addition, Abdussobur Saalam, the union’s national vice president, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime agreed to pay N50 billion earned allowances to the members of the unions.

Their decision to suspend the strike is consolatory as university lecturers, under the auspices of ASUU, have yet to call off their strike to resume academic activities. The suspension will let some students obtain certificates and transcripts, even though academic activities continue during the ASUU strike.

SSANU and NASU’s suspending their strike may allow students to return to school, but academic activities will not resume until ASUU calls off its industrial action.

The unions had, on March 27, commenced a two-week warning strike due to the alleged inability of the regime to address their demands.

The unions had demanded the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, payment of earned allowances, usurpation of non-academic career positions by vice-chancellors, the inclusion of university staff schools into the university community, the payment of minimum wage arrears, and funding of state universities.