President Bola Tinubu
Nigeria’s economic downturn is taking a devastating toll on university staff members, with both teaching and non-teaching staff struggling to make ends meet. The rising cost of petrol, scarcity of fuel, and skyrocketing food prices have created a perfect storm of hardship, leaving many staff members desperate for survival.
A recent example of this desperation is the scramble for a N35,000 loan offered by the University of Lagos cooperative society. The loan, meant to help staff purchase subsidized “Ounje Eko” foodstuffs, has attracted even senior staff members, including professors and doctors.
According to Oriwaye Adefolalu, former chairman of SSANU at the University of Lagos, “If President Bola Tinubu is not aware that university members of staff are dying like chickens, let him come to the University of Lagos. The sick amongst the federal university staff members do not have money to buy food, not to talk of drugs.”
The situation is further complicated by the four-month salary withheld by the government, which has prompted the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU to threaten an indefinite strike if their demands are not met. These demands include payment of withheld salaries, improved remuneration, earned allowances, and implementation of the 2009 agreements with the government.
The SSANU chairman at UNILAG, Gbenga Adenaiya, emphasized that the situation affects everyone, regardless of sector or position, and urged the government to pay staff salaries promptly to alleviate their suffering.
This crisis highlights the need for sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all, as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8 ¹. Achieving this goal requires promoting development-oriented policies, improving resource efficiency, and protecting labor rights.
