In a move to address the escalating crisis sparked by the withholding of salaries for university workers, the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) has announced plans to convene a high-stakes forum.
The event, slated for Sunday, aims to bring together key stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, in a bid to quell the ongoing warning strike gripping university campuses across the nation.
The initiative, disclosed in a statement released by EWAN on Saturday, underscores the urgency of resolving the standoff between university workers’ unions and government authorities.
Scheduled to transpire virtually via Zoom, the forum will feature the active participation of influential figures such as Muhammed Ibrahim, President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and Ibeji Nwokema, President of the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Elizabeth Osayande, Chairperson of the planning committee, emphasized the imperative for immediate intervention, citing the absence of tangible resolutions following recent talks between labor unions and government representatives.
Expressing concern over the potential repercussions of prolonged industrial action, Osayande stressed the pivotal role of the media in fostering constructive dialogue and averting further disruptions to the nation’s academic landscape.
Reflecting on the detrimental impact of the 2022 university shutdown, Osayande highlighted the collective responsibility shared by journalists to facilitate transparent discourse and forestall the recurrence of similar crises.
Against this backdrop, EWAN seeks to provide a platform for informed engagement, with a view to fostering equitable outcomes and safeguarding the future of Nigeria’s higher education sector.
The backdrop to this urgent intervention is the commencement of a seven-day warning strike by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and other Associated Institutions (NASU).
This industrial action, initiated on Monday, serves as a poignant expression of grievances stemming from the protracted withholding of salaries dating back to 2022.
In parallel, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has also embarked on a warning strike, amplifying the disruption across university campuses nationwide. Tragically, the fallout from the impasse reached a distressing nadir with the reported death of a student at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
The student’s demise, attributed to the inability to access vital healthcare services amidst the turmoil, underscores the human toll exacted by the ongoing standoff.
As stakeholders brace for Sunday’s pivotal forum, hopes are pinned on the prospect of meaningful dialogue and collaborative efforts to navigate the complex terrain of labour relations in Nigeria’s academic sphere. Against a backdrop of mounting tension and uncertainty, the imperative for swift and decisive action looms large, with the nation’s educational future hanging in the balance.
