By CHRISTIAN OGBONNA

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the non-teaching staff unions in the universities has urged the Federal Government to expedite actions and pay two months’ withheld salaries of its members.

The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufo-Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI) in Ebonyi, took to the streets on Thursday to protest.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters marched to the office of AE-FUNAI Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sunday Elom, to register their grievances.

NAN reports that the protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, including “FG, pay us our two months’ withheld salaries” and “No payment of third-party deductions of the two months’ salary arrears”.

The other inscriptions include “Constitution renegotiation is not enough; let the committee commence work immediately; delay, it is dangerous” and “We will not agree until our two months’ withheld salaries are paid.”

Mr. Onyebuchi Mpamugo, Chairman of SSANU in the university, said that the immediate payment of the withheld salaries became necessary to avoid any industrial action in the nation’s universities.

Mpamugo said the protest was to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the matter of the welfare of workers in the universities.

“We are protesting based on the national directive. We gathered for a one-day protest to drive home the union’s demand, and our demand is not too much for the Federal Government to do.

“The Federal Government should facilitate the work of the constituted committee and expedite actions on the needful. We want our withheld two months’ salaries to be paid.

“We went on strike in 2022, and strike action is the right of workers; the federal government has no right to withhold our salaries. So, we are begging them to kindly pay us our salaries,” he added.

Mr. Chibuike Igwe, NASU Chairman, called for unity among members, expressing hope that “freedom comes by struggle.”

Igwe noted that the union at the national level gave the Federal Government 14 days to settle all their demands or face industrial action.

He decried the sufferings of members and urged them to remain united and focused.

“Look at the economy in the country. It is our right to demand our money,” he said.

The VC, who was represented by Prof. Augustine Ibegbu, Dean, Faculty of Basic Medical Science, urged the protester to remain calm.

He pledged to take their messages to the Federal Government, and all the issues raised would be treated accordingly.

“We have heard your demands, have noted all the demands, and I promised that I will take them to the right table,” he said. (NAN)