SSANU accuses finance ministry of delaying payment of its members withheld salaries

By Uzair Adam On Sep 20, 2024

SSANU , finance ministry , withheld salaries, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim — SSANU President ,Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has accused the Federal Ministry of Finance of deliberately delaying the payment of its members four months’ salaries withheld by the Federal Government following the 2022 nationwide strike.

SolaceBase reports that the National President of the union, Comrade Muhammed Haruna Ibrahim, made the allegation on Friday at Bayero University, Kano (BUK). during a SSANU congress meeting.

Ibrahim, who also serves as the National Internal Auditor of the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC) stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed that the debts be settled, but the Ministry of Finance has failed to approve the payments.

He stated that, “The approval is still with the Ministry of Finance. We urge the Minister of Finance to do the needful, or we will have no choice but to escalate our threats. We are confident the relevant documents are before him.”

He lamented that the situation has left SSANU members struggling, especially amid the rising economic hardship in the country.

“We suspect there are saboteurs in the government. The President has given directives, yet we have not seen any action. That’s why we have been asking questions. But when those questions remain unanswered, we are forced to issue a statement.”

He further stated, “Workers are not slaves; we are Nigerians. This is an approved payment, so why haven’t we received it?”

Ibrahim emphasized that striking or downing tools is a last resort, but it is a legal strategy for unions. “SSANU is not a union that resorts to strikes at every turn,” he said. “But if you hear us threaten action, it means someone has pushed us to the brink.”

He added that the union has given the government three weeks to address the issue and has communicated with all relevant agencies to ensure the approval is implemented.

“We expect significant progress within these three weeks,” he added.