…issue 7-day ultimatum over unpaid allowances
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) have threatened to shut down universities nationwide if the Federal Government fails to resolve long-standing welfare issues within seven days.
In a joint letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions accused government of neglecting their demands, particularly on earned allowances, withheld salaries, and stalled renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
“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.
The letter recalled that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU had earlier petitioned government on June 18, 2025, which led to a meeting with the Minister of Education on July 4, 2025. At that meeting, it was agreed that a Tripartite Committee involving the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, and JAC would 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.”
However, the unions lamented that nothing tangible has happened since. “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 reminded.
The unions further expressed frustration over the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, noting that while talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had reached an advanced stage, non-teaching staff unions had been left behind.
“It is on record that Alhaji Yayale Ahmed-led Renegotiation Committee inaugurated on 15th October, 2024 to review the 2009 agreements with the university-based unions only had inaugural meeting with JAC of NASU and SSANU on 10th December, 2024. Since then, the Federal Government team has gone into limbo with the non-teaching staff unions, whereas information at our disposal confirmed that the same Federal Government team has already concluded renegotiation with our counterpart, the Academic Staff Union, and at the verge of signing an agreement, while the Federal Government team has refused to engage the non-teaching staff unions and even sidelined us despite fulfilling all justifications including re-submission of our Memoranda of Demands,” the letter read.
In a warning last week, SSANU President Ibrahim said failure to act would result in severe consequences for the education sector.
“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.
He also lamented the worsening condition of workers: “The conditions of service of university workers are the worst hit financially, economically and psychologically.”
The ultimatum, which took effect on Monday, September 15, 2025, gives the government until September 22 to meet the unions’ demands or face disruptive industrial action.
