BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, drawn from the Federal Capital Territory Command on Thursday prevented non-teaching workers from universities across the country from embarking on a protest at the popular Unity Fountain in Abuja.
New National Star gathered that the university workers under the aegis of Joint Action Committee (JAC) had earlier scheduled to hold a peaceful protest to press home their demands over non-payment of their four months’ salaries.
The workers are members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU).
But the police operatives prevented the varsity workers from embarking on the protest and blocked the entrance of Unity Fountain, with an Armoured Personnel Carrier and Hilux vehicles.
Commissioner of Police in FCT, Benneth Igwe, who arrived the venue, at about 9:30am told the union leaders that they would not use Abuja streets for their protest without giving any reason.
However, NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, who spoke briefly thereafter, told journalists that appropriate authorities were informed about the planned protest.
As of the time of filing this report, members of the two unions including their counterpart from NAAT were still barricaded inside the Unity Fountain.
The protest is part of a broader wave of demonstrations that started last week Tuesday across the states and FCT by both NASU and SSANU, to voice their grievances over the withheld salaries by the Federal Government.
Recall that on March 2022, the four unions across universities embarked on a prolonged strike due to the government’s failure to honour multiple agreements.