ASUU Strike: Banks Union, Others Threaten to Shut Down Operations

National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) said it would shut all financial institutions to join the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in its solidarity strike over the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike.

This is coming as Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) have also threatened to shut down airports in solidarity with the striking ASUU.

The Nigeria Labour Congress had directed its members to embark on a nationwide protest on July 26 and 27 in solidarity with ASUU.

NUBIFIE in a statement by Anthony Abakpa, its national president, and Mohammed Sheikh, general secretary, said “if, after the one-day protest by NLC on this issue nothing is done, the union will have no other option than to call out all our members in banks, insurance and other financial institutions in solidarity with ASUU.”

Also Abdulrasaq Saidu, ANAP general secretary, in a statement, called on the federal government to end the strike without further delay.

He said the protracted strike had led to an increase in social vices by students and ridiculed Nigeria’s educational system, making it a laughing stock.

“ASUU, NASU, SAUTHRIAI, NAAT had been on strike for more than four months due to the apparent failure of government to sign the re-negotiated 2009 agreement with ASUU, failure to honour the terms reached at in the May 2022 MoU signed with ASUU, and habitual failure of government to respect collective bargaining agreements willingly signed with labour unions.

“Our children are using eight years to read courses of four years with resources being wasted. We cannot continue this way.”

Similarly, NAAPE in a statement by Umoh Ofonime, its deputy general secretary, said the refusal of the federal government to honour the agreement signed with the union since 2009 “is very disturbing considering the negative impact the prolonged strike will create in the life of these children.”