- SSANU condemns reports of lawmakers allegedly demanding N8 million from vice-chancellors for budget approvals
- For three months, universities have struggled without electricity, affecting research and academic work.
- If governments fail to implement the N70,000 minimum wage for university staff by early 2025, the union will take decisive steps.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has raised concerns over ongoing power cuts affecting public universities. These institutions have struggled without electricity for three months, disrupting research and academic activities.
SSANU President Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim addressed journalists at the union’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, January 29. He spoke during a leadership retreat for the National Administrative Committee (NAC) members.
“Public universities have lacked electricity for the last three months, making it difficult for research and key academic functions,” Ibrahim said. He noted that universities could not continue operating under such conditions as they cannot pay their electricity bills.
Ibrahim criticised the failure of federal and state governments to implement the N70,000 minimum wage. He pointed out that governments have ignored SSANU members, including accountants, lawyers, engineers, and medical workers, in the wage adjustment process.
“We will take decisive action against governments and employers who refuse to implement the N70,000 minimum wage by the end of the first quarter of 2025,” he said. Ibrahim stressed that professionals in the union deserve a wage increase like other workers.
He also condemned reports alleging that members of the National Assembly demanded N8 million from vice-chancellors of federal universities to approve their budgets. He warned that SSANU would challenge the lawmakers if they confirmed these claims.
“Universities cannot meet such demands when struggling to provide electricity,” Ibrahim said. He questioned how the institutions would generate the required funds to fulfil the alleged demands and maintain essential services.
Ibrahim emphasised that public universities, intended to be hubs of knowledge and research, now face fundamental problems such as power shortages. “No university has the resources to cover its electricity bills,” he said. This crisis has delayed academic progress and halted several research projects.
He urged the government to act immediately to resolve these issues. He insisted that the power outage and unpaid minimum wages are undermining the ability of Nigerian universities to function effectively.
Ibrahim warned that SSANU would resist further delays in implementing the new minimum wage. He reaffirmed that the union would take decisive action if the government failed to address these problems before the deadline.
In his concluding remarks, Ibrahim called on the government and relevant authorities to prioritise funding for education. He described the current state of public universities as unacceptable and urged quick intervention to restore electricity and secure staff welfare.
He reaffirmed SSANU’s commitment to promoting better working conditions in public universities and assured that if the government does not act, the union will protect its members’ rights and welfare.