The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over unpaid allowances and unresolved welfare issues, warning that a nationwide strike looms if their demands are ignored.
In a joint letter signed by SSANU President Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions decried what they described as the “unjust disbursement of earned allowances to university staff, non-payment of outstanding allowances, among other grievances.”
The unions recalled that they first raised these issues in a letter dated June 18, 2025, which led to a July 4 meeting with the Minister of Education. At that meeting, a Tripartite Committee of the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) was set up to address the “skewed distribution” of the N50 billion earned allowances.
Despite assurances from the government to resolve the payment of two months’ withheld salaries and the 25/35 per cent salary increments, the unions say nothing has been done. A follow-up reminder sent on August 18, 2025, reportedly yielded no response.
The unions also expressed frustration over the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU agreements. While the Federal Government has concluded talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the non-teaching staff unions claim they have been sidelined despite fulfilling all requirements, including re-submitting their Memoranda of Demands.
“In light of the persistent unresolved issues, and the apparent lack of responsiveness from the government to our legitimate concerns, we are compelled to serve a formal notice of seven days effective from Monday, September 15, 2025, to address our agitations, failing which members of NASU and SSANU would embark on a series of industrial actions, including strikes,” the letter read.
SSANU President Ibrahim warned that the strike, if it occurs, would be crippling. “Ours will not be the ‘mother of all strikes,’ it will be the grandfather of all strikes, because when SSANU or NASU strikes, you know what it means. We must take our destinies in our hands,” he said.
The unions lamented the dire conditions of service, describing the financial, economic, and psychological hardships faced by non-academic university staff.