Five Months Without Pay: NAAT Announces Nationwide Protest

Five Months Without Pay: NAAT Announces Nationwide Protest....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has announced plans for a nationwide protest over five months of unpaid salaries and unfulfilled agreements with the Federal Government. A picket is also scheduled at the Ministry of Finance on November 14, in response to the government’s failure to address directives from President Bola Tinubu regarding withheld payments……….CONTINUE READING

According to Naija News, the protest will start at midnight on November 6, 2024. NAAT branches in universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education across the country will mobilize to press their demands.

Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, NAAT’s President, issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government beginning October 30, 2024, as a final opportunity to resolve the issues. Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, he highlighted long-standing demands, including the payment of five and a half months of withheld salaries and the implementation of a 2009 agreement with NAAT. This agreement outlines key provisions for academic technologists, student training, and improvements in staff-to-student ratios.

NAAT also urged the government to allocate funds for upgrading university laboratories and address broader issues of underfunding and the increasing number of public universities.

The union had previously issued a three-week ultimatum on September 30, 2024, which expired on October 21, without any response from the government, including from the Ministries of Education and Labour and Employment. NAAT criticized the government’s “insensitivity,” noting that President Tinubu had approved the disbursement of the withheld salaries, yet the Finance Ministry has not acted on this.

During the two-week period, NAAT’s local branches will hold congresses to conduct a referendum on escalating the protest to a full-scale strike if the government does not respond by November 13, 2024. The NAAT President warned that without government action, an indefinite strike could disrupt academic calendars and impact critical research.

He stated, “It is unfortunate and regrettable that despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s waiver to pay the owed salaries, the Finance Minister’s refusal to execute this directive raises questions about the government’s sincerity in resolving these issues.”

Comrade Nwokoma recounted NAAT’s efforts, including letters, protests, and several Memoranda of Understanding with the government since 2017, all of which have yielded no results. He called on the government to use this two-week window to resolve the issues, emphasizing that this course of action aims to prevent disruptions to the academic calendar, which would hinder research, practical teaching, and specialized lab, workshop, and studio activities.

The union stands prepared to take further action if necessary, while hoping to avoid industrial disruptions that could impact Nigeria’s tertiary education system.