The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has condemned the delay in the payment of February salaries to its members across federal universities, warning that the situation has caused severe hardship for workers and their families.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the union’s National President, Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim, also expressed concern over what he described as the slow pace of the ongoing renegotiation process between SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the Federal Government.
Mr. Ibrahim said the delay in salary payments was eroding confidence in the system and negatively affecting staff morale and productivity across the university system.
“Staff who dedicate their time and expertise to sustaining the university system deserve timely remuneration for their services,” the statement read.
“SSANU considers this development deeply troubling and calls on the relevant authorities, especially the GIFMIS office in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), to urgently address the delay and ensure the immediate payment of February salaries in order to restore confidence and stability within the university system.”
The union also criticised what it described as inconsistencies in the government’s salary payment systems for university staff.
According to Mr. Ibrahim, the recent switching between the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Remita payment platform reflects a lack of consistency in policy direction.
He recommended that the Federal Government adopt the Remitaplatform for the payment of university workers’ salaries, citing its reliability and efficiency.
“We wish to recommend that government should consider the adoption of the Remita platform as the channel for the payment of salaries of university workers because of its seamless and reliable nature,” he said.
The SSANU president also expressed disappointment that, despite the efforts of the Federal Government’s renegotiation committee led by Malam Ahmed, discussions between the government and university unions have yet to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
Mr. Ibrahim further criticised recent public remarks by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, suggesting that industrial harmony had been fully achieved within the university system and that union concerns had been resolved.
