The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to resume its strike from July 4th, 2024, accusing the Federal Government of exacerbating divisions within the tertiary education system.

The SSANU expressed frustration over the non-payment of four months’ salaries that were withheld by the government during the strike period of its sister union, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

These issues, alongside other challenges facing the tertiary education sector, were central topics at SSANU’s 48th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Benin, Edo State, last weekend.

The Joint Action Committee (JAC), consisting of SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), had previously issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to settle the salary arrears.

SSANU criticized the government for selectively paying ASUU while neglecting the other three university-based unions that participated in the 2022 strike.

With the ultimatum set to expire on July 4th, SSANU has now renewed its strike notice, citing unresolved grievances over salary payments and other outstanding issues.

According to a communique issued, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU is scheduled to convene on the mentioned date to assess the government’s response to their ultimatum and coordinate a unified stance regarding service withdrawal.

SSANU, in the statement signed by its President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, accuses the government of displaying insensitivity and intentionally fostering discord within the university system through a divide-and-rule strategy.

The communique read, “NEC in session once again expresses utmost dismay at the unprecedented level of Government’s insensitivity and deliberate resolve to cause chaos in the university system by adopting the divide and rule policy to set unions on a collision course through preferential treatment of one union over others.

“Recall SSANU and other unions were compelled by government to embark on strike in 2022 over the refusal to honour a Collective Bargaining Agreement willingly signed by all parties.

“At the end of the strike, the then (Muhammadu) Buhari government further signed an elaborate agreement among which was the non victimization clause. However, government made a selective payment of the withheld salaries.

“While we do not begrudge the payment made to our colleagues, we expected same gesture to be extended to SSANU and NASU that legally complied with all procedures before embarking on the Industrial action.

Despite all promises and media hypes by the Ministers of Education and Labour, including the House of Representatives to pay these arrears, Government has continued to dribble SSANU, even after the mutual agreement to suspend the one week warning strike in March this year.

“NEC in session deliberated on the matter and unanimously approved a long drawn comprehensive industrial action after concurrence with the Joint Action Committee meeting of SSANU and NASU scheduled for Thursday 4th July, 2024, if Government fails to pay the four months salary arrears.”

SSANU has also criticized the government’s approved wage award of N35,000 intended to mitigate the impact of the halted fuel subsidy, which has exacerbated financial strains.

They highlighted that the wage award has been discontinued in Federal Universities, leaving three months of arrears unpaid.

The association pointed out that several states have yet to implement the wage award for their members in state universities, aggravating their financial hardships.

SSANU called on the Federal Government to promptly reinstate the wage award payments and settle the outstanding three months arrears without further delay.

Additionally, it also called upon state governments that have not yet initiated payments of the approved wage award to promptly begin disbursing the funds, including any accumulated arrears.

Mobile internet services in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, have been abruptly cut since Monday night following protests sparked by the announcement of Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani’s re-election as president.

The disruption came after final provisional results confirmed Ghazouani’s victory in Saturday’s presidential election, leading to reported disturbances in working-class neighborhoods.

Witnesses observed tensions escalating on Monday evening, though the extent of the unrest remains unspecified.

Despite these events, Nouakchott appeared relatively calm on Tuesday, with businesses operating as usual.

Authorities have not issued any statements regarding the internet blackout, a measure increasingly employed by governments worldwide during times of political turmoil.

Meanwhile, second-place candidate Biram Dah Abeid, an anti-slavery activist, denounced the election results as marred by “massive fraud” and has threatened peaceful street demonstrations in response.

Abeid stated that he is awaiting election results from his own teams before making a final decision.

The aftermath of the 2019 election that brought Ghazouani to power was characterized by clashes, the arrest of opposition figures, and nationals from neighboring countries accused of participating in protests.

Additionally, there was a 10-day internet blackout during that period.

Ifunanya Miracle, who recently graduated from the Department of Quantity Surveying at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University,  Awka tragically lost her life on Sunday, June 9, 2024, while attempting to escape an alleged robbery by a yet-to-be-identified prankster on the university premises.

The incident also left her friend, Peace, a student in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, with serious injuries.

It was gathered that Peace was immediately taken to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.

Ifunanya, known for her Point-of-Sale business on campus, had just closed her operations for the day and boarded a tricycle with Peace when the robbery attempt occurred.

Authorities are investigating the incident and have yet to identify the suspect responsible for the fatal prank.

The duo were on their way when a passenger beside them allegedly attempted to rob them of their valuables.

A student, speaking anonymously for fear of victimization, reported that in a desperate attempt to escape the robbery, the two students jumped out of the moving tricycle.

While Peace sustained injuries, Miracle was tragically unlucky, hitting her head on the ground during the escape attempt.

The student said, “Miracle just graduated from the University and does a Point-of-Sale operation in the school. The incident happened around 7 pm on June 9, 2024. She does her PoS business at the front of my residence.

“She usually packed her business stuff under the staircase in our compound and the stuff is still there. She packed it and put it back there in the evening. But all of a sudden, we just heard that she was dead.

“We were like how; she still dropped her stuff under the staircase of our compound on Monday. From what we gathered, she was on a moving tricycle with her friend when a fellow passenger, ordered them to give him their phones.

“While trying to escape, Miracle jumped out of the tricycle and hit her head on the road and by the time she was rushed to the hospital, she had died. Her friend, who also jumped out of the tricycle sustained injuries and she is still in hospital.”

Another student said the man, who ordered the victims to surrender their property, later claimed he was pranking them.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the man subsequently turned himself in to the police.

The student said, “We heard the guy has reported himself at the Police station and claimed it was a prank. How can he be pranking someone on a moving tricycle? After the incident, we have not heard anything. This lady (Miracle) just died because of the carelessness of some people who claimed to be pranksters.

“It could be that he wanted to rob and when he saw the outcome of his action, he changed the argument to pranking because of what happened.

“The University has not said anything about the case. The fact that the school has not addressed it is a concern. The girl just did her convocation.

“The girl who died is Ifunanya Miracle, also known as Bliss, and she was a student in the Department of Quantity Surveying. Her friend’s name is Peace, in the Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry. She was hospitalised after the incident.”

The school’s spokesperson, Dr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, confirmed the incident on Monday and stated that the prankster, a final-year student, would face disciplinary action following Miracle’s burial.

He said, “The University is fully aware of the incident. It was not a robbery but a very expensive prank. The students were told to bring their phones but they didn’t know it was a prank. So, they jumped, one died and one survived.

“The families of the victims and that of the final-year student who pranked the victims have held a meeting with us and it was established that it was a prank.

“The families have reached some agreement and we want the process of the burial to take place before the student that pranked them will face disciplinary measures.

“It was an unfortunate incident; the school regrets it, the student who pranked them regrets it and the family of the concerned student will take responsibility for the funeral of the dead victim and the hospital bill of the other student. We use this opportunity to warn students to avoid expensive pranks that lead to death, the person will face the music.”