Academic activities were partially paralysed at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the Enugu campus following a seven-day warning strike by the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

The strike affected some ongoing examinations at both campuses of the university.

Students writing examinations earlier were allowed to finish, while those who started their afternoon papers were chased out of the classrooms.

The striking members also closed many offices, including Student Affairs and others.

Some students lamented the negative effects of the strike on their studies.

SSANU and NASU said the action called by their national Joint Action Committee (JAC) was to protest the federal government’s failure to pay their members four months of withheld salaries during their strike in 2022.

Addressing members during an emergency congress in the UNN, Linus Akata, chairman of SSANU-UNN, flanked by Ekene Amu, chairman of NASU-UNN, said the emergency congress was to tell their members about the warning strike.

Mr Akata warned that the unions would deal decisively with any member found to be defaulting or sabotaging the seven-day warning strike.

“Members are directed to go home immediately after this congress and stay away from work until the seven-day warning strike ends, as any defaulting member will be decisively dealt with.

“This warning strike is total and comprehensive, as administrative blocks of the UNN, offices, works departments, the University Medical Centre, the University Primary School and others have been shut down till the end of the strike.

“There will be no water and electricity supply from the university hostels, and internet facilities from the university have been shut down for the period as we have directed our members working in these places to go home,” he said.

Mr Akata said that the unions had no apology over the seven-day warning strike, as their national leadership had done everything necessary to avert the strike by appealing to the government to do the needful.

Also, activities at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun, and the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), were paralysed on Monday as workers complied with the directive to embark on a seven-day warning strike.

The institutions’ branches of SSANU and NASU, in compliance with the directives of their national bodies, locked the main gates, preventing the entry and exit of vehicles on the campuses.

Lecture halls and offices were also locked, hindering academic activities by lecturers who had earlier been paid their arrears.

In separate interviews, the chairmen of SSANU in the institutions, Taiwo Arobadi and Felix Adubi, respectively, said all their members in the registry, bursary, works, maintenance, security and student affairs have withdrawn their services.

According to the chairmen, the federal government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2009 and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in 2023, respectively, over the payment of their arrears, but nothing has been done to date.

Mr Arobadi said that if the FG does the needful today, the strike will be called off, but if it fails to do so within the stipulated time, the next action will be decided.

Also, Wole Odewumi, the chairman of the Non-teaching Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, OAU branch, said the workers complied with the national directive on the strike.

Mr Odewumi said, “No union is superior to another, and since the federal government has paid ASSU, other unions should be paid as well.”

Also, Mr Adubi said the unions in FUTA would not heed any appeal from the school management not to join the seven-day warning strike declared by its national leadership.

“All administrative and technical activities in FUTA have been paralysed, and we still have the whole of this week to comply with the warning strike.

“The federal government should pay our withheld four months’ salaries in the federal universities and inter-university centres as done for our academic counterparts,” he stated.

The institution was deserted, and no academic activity was ongoing in compliance with the unions’ instructions.

(NAN)