Pandemonium ensued at Unity Fountain in Abuja following the clash between Nigerian police Officers and members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU).
The university workers are protesting four-month withheld salaries by the Nigerian government
The protesters, led by SSANU President Mohammed Aruna Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Comrade Peters Adeyemi, demanded payment of their four-month arrears, which were excluded from the recent payment to Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members.
However, chaos erupted when the leadership of JAC started addressing members for the protest for onward movement to the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, where they are to present letters to the ministers, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igwe, stormed the Unity Fountain and warned that there would be no protest.
Consequently, the police used armoured vehicle and a Hilux van to block the entry and exit gates to stop the protest.
All entreaties made to the police by the leadership of the two unions could not persuade them to allow the aggrieved members to proceed with the protest rally.
Some of the non-teaching staff members had wanted to revolt against the police directive, but they were calmed down by their leaders not to do anything that could lead to violence.
The aggrieved staff wondered why the police could attempt to stop a peaceful protest in a democracy, describing the action as a bad omen for democracy.
In order to ensure that the letters were submitted to the relevant ministries, the leadership of JAC decided to use their vehicles instead of the initial peaceful protest to go to the Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
The unions warned that if the four months withheld salaries are not paid by next week, they would be left with no other option than to shut down universities and inter-university centres.
Those who addressed the protesting workers are the SSANU President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, the NASU President, Comrade Hassan Makolo, and the NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi.
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