UTME 2018: Non Academic Staff Unions To Meet Over Lingering Strike

The striking unions made up of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) announced the meeting a day after the Joint Admission & Matriculation Board (JAMB) issued a statement that the two months old strike would affect the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) especially the mock examination scheduled for February 26.

Joint Action Committee, the body overseeing the ongoing strike by non-academic unions in Federal universities across Nigeria has scheduled an important meeting to review their decision to down tools. 

The striking unions made up of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) announced the meeting a day after the Joint Admission & Matriculation Board (JAMB) issued a statement that the two months old strike would affect the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) especially the mock examination scheduled for February 26.

SaharaReporters learnt that JAC would be holding a congress to do an evaluation of the strike action which has been on since December 2017.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Secretary of University of Lagos chapter of NASU, Comrade Aderibigbe said the scheduled meeting would also x-ray the case of some members who were arrested a couple of days back.

“The congress would be holding because of the strike and probably update members on the arrest of our members. We need to officially inform our members that those arrested have been released, that will be part of what we would be discussing,” Aderibigbe said.

JAMB had in statement noted that the unions are part of the key stakeholders for the conduct of the UTME examinations while expressing the hope that the federal government would accede to the requests of the striking workers for successful conduct of the examination.

“The unions are our critical stakeholders and their absence would be felt if the issue is not resolved before Monday, February 26. We are still hopeful that an amicable resolution of the crisis would be reached before the date of the examination.”

“We had prayed and worked tirelessly to ensure that the strike was called off hence our continued shifting of the dates for the examination,” JAMB’s spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin said in a statement