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Academic and non-academic personnel of higher education institutions in Nasarawa State, operating under the Joint Unions of Nasarawa State Tertiary Institutions (JUNSTI), are set to commence an indefinite strike on Monday.
This information was revealed in a statement signed by the chairman of JUNSTI, Samson Kale Gbande, and his secretary, Paul Olotu, which was shared with reporters in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The statement indicated that the strike is a result of the government’s inability to implement salary adjustments in accordance with the new minimum wage of N70,500 and to address outstanding promotion allowances.
This strike could disrupt academic operations at the affected institutions, which include Isa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic, Lafia; College of Agriculture, Science & Technology, Lafia; and College of Education, Akwanga.
The statement noted, “Following an emergency meeting of the Joint Unions of Nasarawa State Tertiary Institutions (JUNSTI) held on 4th February 2025, the unions have decided to initiate a two-week warning strike starting from midnight on Sunday, 9th to Thursday, 27th February 2025.”
“The strike is necessitated by the government’s failure to address the union’s concerns as outlined in its letter of ultimatum dated 15th January 2025 regarding critical pending issues.”
The union had warned the Nasarawa state government, specifically Governor Abdullahi Sule, in January that they would resort to an industrial strike if the urgent issues impacting the institutions were not resolved.
This warning was communicated in a letter dated January 15 and was preceded by several other correspondences sent to the government on November 11, 20, and 29, 2024.
The union stated that all attempts to resolve the matter have been unsuccessful as the government continues to disregard their demands.
Gbande explained that the only option left is to proceed with the strike, as all other efforts to engage the government through dialogue have failed.
