SSANU, NASU threaten to shut down varsities in two weeks

Non-teaching workers across universities in the country, on Monday, called on Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to avert the looming shutdown of universities nationwide by attending to all their demands within seven days.

The workers, under the aegis of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and its counterpart from the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), said they would disconnect lights, water, lock up examination offices and withdraw all security officers on campuses.

President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, who spoke on their behalf at a press briefing in Abuja, added that Libraries, ICT centres, bursary departments, account sections, health centres and other important places being manned by its members would be cut off.

Ibrahim said, “Ours is to draw the attention of the public, and also reach out to those that matter to intervene in this matter because our patience is clearly running out and we’re meeting within the next seven days to make a final decision.

“That is why we’re reaching out to the world so that at the end of the day, nobody will blame us by saying we just decided to down tools. You should also know that once the non-teaching staff cease to work, nothing moves in the university.”

The union leader also berated the state governments for creating universities without fashioning out how to fund them, adding that three state universities that belong to Ondo State have remained at the lowest ebb due to neglect from the state government.

He, however, cautioned both states and the federal government to stop creating universities as means of mere constituency projects.