SSANU, NASU give FG seven days to pay allowances or face strike

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions have issued the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum over unresolved welfare demands, warning of a nationwide strike if their grievances are not addressed.

In a joint letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions condemned the “unjust disbursement of earned allowances, non-payment of outstanding allowances, withheld salaries and unimplemented salary increments.”

Ibrahim recalled that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU had earlier written to the government on June 18, 2025, which led to a meeting with the Minister of Education on July 4, 2025. At that meeting, a resolution was reached to set up a Tripartite Committee of the Ministry, the National Universities Commission and the unions to review the skewed sharing of N50 billion earned allowances.

The unions insisted their members in universities were shortchanged while staff in Inter-University Centres were excluded entirely.

The unions added that the government also pledged to expedite action on arrears of the 25 and 35 per cent salary increments owed to members but had since failed to deliver.

A reminder letter dated August 18, 2025, was also ignored.

On the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, the unions accused the Federal Government of sidelining them. They said the Yayale Ahmed-led committee inaugurated in October 2024 only held one meeting with them in December 2024 before going silent.

They alleged that while the government had concluded renegotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities and prepared to sign, it abandoned the non-teaching unions despite their submissions.

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The unions warned that if nothing is done, they would resort to “a series of legitimate industrial actions including strikes.” The ultimatum took effect from September 15, 2025.

Last week, Ibrahim said: “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 lamented the hardship faced by workers, describing university staff as “the worst hit financially, economically and psychologically.”