NAAT Threatens Nationwide Protest Over Withheld Salaries, Unresolved Welfare Issues

The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Government, threatening to embark on nationwide protests starting August 6, 2025, over the government’s failure to address several longstanding demands.

The union, which had earlier given a 21-day ultimatum in June that expired on July 4 without any response from the government, expressed disappointment at the continued neglect of its members’ welfare and the worsening academic environment across tertiary institutions.

The threat followed the union’s 59th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Yobe State University, Damaturu, where members condemned the government’s “lukewarm attitude” toward resolving critical issues.

In a statement signed by NAAT President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, the union said it is still open to dialogue before the August deadline but warned that it will not hesitate to mobilize nationwide protests if its grievances remain unattended.

One of the major triggers for the planned protest is the controversial sharing formula of the recently disbursed ₦50 billion for Earned Allowances. NAAT alleged that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received 80 percent of the total sum, while the remaining 20 percent was split among the three non-teaching unions—NAAT, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

“The NEC in session frowned at the modalities used by the Federal Government in the sharing formula and disbursement of the ₦50 billion Earned Allowances and Earned Academic Allowances arrears,” the statement read.

The union also reviewed its declaration of a trade dispute issued on June 2 against the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

NAAT listed several unresolved demands, including:

• Payment of three and a half months of withheld salaries
• Completion of renegotiation of the FGN/NAAT 2009 Agreement
• Implementation of the new national minimum wage consequential adjustment
• Payment of seven months’ arrears of occupational hazard allowance
• Release of third-party deductions withheld for two months
• Payment of 11 months’ responsibility allowance arrears
• Release of a circular enabling career progression to CONTISS 14 & 15
• Settlement of ₦30,000 minimum wage arrears owed to omitted members
• Recognition of NEC-approved union executives at NAU and UNN
• Mainstreaming of allowances such as field trip, SWEP, student/technologist staff ratio supplementation, and call duty allowance

NAAT emphasized that the government must take urgent steps to correct what it called “systemic injustices” against its members, or risk a full-blown industrial action that could once again paralyze academic activities across Nigerian universities.