The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions have given the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum over unresolved welfare issues, warning of a looming nationwide strike.
In a joint letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions decried the “unjust disbursement of the earned allowances to staff of universities, non-payment of outstanding allowances, among others.”
Ibrahim recalled that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU had, in a letter dated June 18, 2025, drawn the attention of the government to unresolved labour matters. That letter, he noted, led to a meeting with the Minister on July 4, 2025.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the issues raised in the letter centred on: unjust disbursement of N50bn earned allowances; non-payment of outstanding withheld salaries and 25/35 per cent salary increments; and renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU agreements,” the unions stated.
They recalled that at the July 4 meeting, a resolution was reached to set up a Tripartite Committee of the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission and JAC to address the “skewed distribution of the N50 billion earned allowances in which our members in the universities were shortchanged, while those in the Inter-University Centres were completely shut out of the distribution.”
The unions added: “While there was no conclusion at the 4th July, 2025 meeting on the issue of payment of two months’ outstanding withheld salaries owed our members, you pledged to set machinery in motion to expedite action on the issue of arrears of 25/35 per cent salary increments owed our members.”
They further lamented that despite a reminder letter dated August 18, 2025, nothing had been done.