The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi have called for the immediate removal of the Ministers of Education and Labour and Productivity.
These unions, operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), have accused the ministers of failing to address their grievances despite multiple promises.
On Tuesday, a peaceful protest was held at the Yelwa Campus. During the demonstration, the unions demanded the payment of withheld salaries and other entitlements. They criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for not fulfilling campaign promises and for increasing hardship. The protesters, carrying placards with various inscriptions, marched through major roads within the campus while chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the placards read: “Ministers of Labour and Education should be sacked,” “Tinubu, pay us our wage awards,” “Pay us our four months arrears of withheld salaries and other allowances,” and “SSANU says: Tax the rich, subsidize the poor.”
In an interview with journalists during the protest, JAC Chairman Sulisma Jatau demanded the payment of their four months’ salary arrears and vowed that they would continue their struggle until their demands are met. He emphasized the necessity of the protest to compel the government to pay the withheld salaries, earned allowances, and other entitlements, as well as to respect the 2009 agreement.
“The Minister of Labour and the Minister of Education must be sacked,” Jatau stated. “We demand their dismissal because they have made over ten promises to us without any results. As honourable ministers, they are supposed to act honourably, and if they cannot, they should be replaced by competent individuals.”
Jatau also criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a “failure” for not meeting the expectations of Nigerians or fulfilling its campaign promises.