Non-academic workers at the University of Lagos have insisted that the institution’s resumption may be hindered if the Federal Government failed to meet up with their demands.

The UNILAG’s chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, Kehinde Ajibade, made this known in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Wednesday.

Ajibade was reacting to the announcement by UNILAG management that the institution would resume academic activities on January 25.

The UNILAG-NASU chairman also said workers will not resume until they are sure that the university is safe for resumption,  adding, “we do not want to lose any of our members to COVID-19.”

He said, “Our (Workers) protest ends tomorrow (Thursday) and after that we expect the Federal Government to attend to our agitations. If the Federal Government failed to yield to our agitations, the resumption is not visible at all. I need to say that categorically because we will resume with a full-blown indefinite strike.

“There is no way the school can resume while we will be on strike. We know they will be having online classes. Notwithstanding, that resumption will not work because if they are having online lectures, who are the workers that will put up the machinery and infrastructure to make it work.”

He appealed to students, parents, and other stakeholders in the education sector to mount pressure on the Federal Government to yield to the demands of the protesting workers.

“If the university wants to truly resume, it lies in the hands of the Federal Government. If they yield to our agitations, schools will resume. If they fail, it means that the Federal Government is the one delaying the reopening of schools.

“We appeal to students and other stakeholders to mount pressure on the Federal Government to do the needful. We cannot promise resumption if our demands are not met.”

The non-academic unions described the Federal Government’s sharing formula as “illogical and a divide and rule tactic”.

SSANU and NASU said they are against the N30bn promised the Academic Staff Union of Universities, saying the sharing formula was 75 per cent (N30bn) for the lecturers and 25 per cent for other unions.