Academic activities including the ongoing semester examination were temporarily halted at the new site of the Bayero University Kano (BUK) following a peaceful demonstration embarked upon by members of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU).
The protesters denied entry and exit into the campus of until 10:00 am before they allowed staff, students and campus-based business owners access the university campus.
SSANU and NASU have embarked on a 7-day warning strike to press home their demands for the Federal Government to pay them their four months withheld salaries which the Buhari-led administration invoked “no-work, mo-pay” policy.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered payment for four months of withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities who had been also denied their salaries as a result of the strike they had embarked in 2022.
SSANU-BUK President Comrade Mustapha Aminu explained that the protest was part of the resolution of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the university-based non-academic unions to pressure the Government to fulfil its obligations.
“It is part of our resolve across the country apart from the 7-day warning strike, we embark on a peaceful demonstration. We started it this morning and we are here to inform the management and craved for support”, Aminu said.
Some students have expressed their concern as the protesters disrupted with their exam schedule.
Muhammad Mukhtar, a 300-level student from faculty of education said “Many students are writing exams and they are denied access to the exams. Although I don’t blame them because this is the only language the government understands. They should be paid their salary please because we the students are feeling it too.”
Another student, Salim Abubakar, of Geography Department said he missed his exam that was due by 8:30am.
“It is actually sad because I have an exam and I am here standing. We are not sure whether the school management will postpone the exam. As you can see, we are standing outside the school and the exam time was 8:30am. This is few minutes to 10am. I don’t know whether they would shift the exam or cancel it. There wasn’t any prior information. We just came here and found the gate closed.”
Another student, Maryam Musa, said the protest stop her from attending her lecture but sympathize with some students who were not allowed to get in and write their exams.
Speaking to the protesters, the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, said that the University understand the reason for the warning strike and would continue to support the unions.
“BUK is supportive of anything that will ensure welfare of staff both academic and nonacademic to improve university education. You have genuine case considering the hardship in the land. I call on you to conduct yourself peacefully,” the VC noted.
The protesters allowed people into the University at exactly 10:00am.
