The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has caused a major stir by giving the Federal Government 14 days to fix any problems that haven’t been solved or the union will go on an indefinite strike. During a peaceful protest at the University of Maiduguri in Borno State, this ultimatum was given.
The president of the union, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, used the event to voice the frustrations of academic technologists across the country, especially about how their salaries were still being held up despite a clear order from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The president gave Nwokoma permission to release the owed salaries, but the Minister of Finance refused. Nwokoma was very upset about this. He said that the delay was “unfortunate and regrettable,” which shows that the government is having trouble communicating and putting plans into action.
The head of NAAT questioned the government’s commitment to solving these problems, since their inaction has put many workers in financial trouble and made it hard for some to meet their basic needs. He also said that it wasn’t clear why the finance ministry wasn’t following the president’s order. This made people even less sure that the government would keep its promises to Nigerian workers, especially those in the academic sector.
In order to end the ongoing workplace unrest, the union has made a number of important demands. Among these are paying all salaries that were held back, fully implementing the 2009 agreement between the Federal Government and NAAT, and paying off all outstanding Earned Allowances. NAAT has also called for a major overhaul of the infrastructure at public university labs, which are frequently underfunded and poorly equipped.
These requests are at the heart of the union’s fight for better working conditions and fair pay for its members, who are very important to universities’ academic and research missions.
Acting Chairman of the University of Maiduguri NAAT Yusuf Zangoma spoke for Nwokoma during the protest. He reaffirmed the union’s position and explained what would happen if the government did not address their concerns within 14 days. All over the country, NAAT branches have been told to hold protests and congresses to get more people behind the cause. If big steps aren’t taken by November 13, 2024, the union has threatened to hold a national protest and then a strike that lasts forever. A lot of teaching and research would have to stop at public universities because of this, which would make things even worse in Nigeria’s already unstable education sector.
Besides NAAT, other unions have also given the government 14 days to respond to their demands. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is the most well-known of these. Some of ASUU’s demands are for the Federal Government and ASUU to renegotiate the 2009 agreement and for salaries that were held up because of the 2022 strike to be paid.
In Nigeria’s academic community, there is growing dissatisfaction, as shown by the fact that both unions are taking similar steps. This points to systemic problems in the education sector. Failure by the government to act quickly and decisively on these issues could cause more problems with the school calendar, which would have long-lasting effects on students, faculty, and the country’s growth.
As a strike was about to happen, Yusuf Bulus, NAAT’s National Internal Auditor, made a sincere plea to Nigerians and other important people to step in and stop things from getting worse. It was agreed by Bulus that a strike would have a big effect on students, possibly holding them back in school and stopping important research and lab work. He did say that NAAT wasn’t looking forward to going on strike, but they would not think twice about doing so if the government kept not doing what it was supposed to do. The union has made it clear that it wants to get its members a fair deal and is ready to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
The idea of a strike, which would be the first of its kind in a long time, is especially scary because Nigeria’s education system is already in a bad way. Not only would a long strike hurt students’ education, but it could also hurt the country’s progress in science and technology for a long time. The deadline is coming up quickly, and everyone is looking to the Federal Government to see what steps it will take to solve the problems brought up by the unions. If it doesn’t, the already troubled education sector could get even worse.
The leadership of NAAT is still firmly in place for now. The union still says it hopes that a solution can be found through talks and negotiations, so there won’t be a strike. However, if the problem isn’t fixed, it’s clear that the academic community is ready to take action to make sure its voices are heard and the long-standing problems are finally fixed. The future of Nigeria’s schools and the direction of the country’s education policy will depend on the next few days.
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