UI: shut down by striking non-academic staff

The University of Ibadan was shut down today by its non academic staff, who began a warning strike over non-payment of some allowances.

It was the first baptism of fire for the administration of the 12th Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, who resumed office some two months ago.

As early as 7am, the non-academic staff of the institution including, Non-Academic Staff Union, NASU, and Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), barricaded all the entrances into the institution, paralysing activities and causing major disruption of vehicular movement especially along Ojo-Sango Road.

Mostly affected were schools located within the campus including International School, Ibadan, Baptist Primary School, and the Staff School as some parents who brought their wards to school had to take them back while some parents trekked with their wards to their respective children’s schools.

According to one of the staff, the new administration has failed to ‘carry the unions’ along unlike his predecessor, Professor Isaac Adewole, who had an agreement with the unions to pay certain amount of the earned allowances with their monthly salaries.

“The earned allowances are paid with monthly salary. But when we received the alert that the salary has been paid, it was discovered that it was paid without the allowance. This we are not ready to take and that is why we have to shut down the system so as to let him know that we will not joke with our welfare. We have bills to settle and that he should know”.

Responding on the protest, the institution’s spokesman, Tunji Oladejo said the strike was unnecessary.