The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have given the federal government until September 22 to meet their demands or face a nationwide strike that could shut down public universities.
The two unions, operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), accused the government of failing to honour agreements reached in earlier negotiations with the Minister of Education. In a letter to the minister, titled “Re: Call for urgent intervention in outstanding labour matters affecting NASU and SSANU members in the Universities and Inter-University centres,” the unions said their patience had been stretched to the limit.
The ultimatum, which began on September 15, followed what the unions described as a betrayal of trust by the government. They claimed that non-teaching staff had been sidelined in critical decisions affecting the university system.
Among their grievances are the non-renegotiation of the 2009 Agreements, the exclusion of inter-university centres from the recent ₦50 billion earned allowances disbursement, and the non-payment of two months’ withheld salaries.
“The non-teaching staff have been treated with levity for too long. The government has failed to address our issues despite repeated assurances,” the JAC stated, warning that if nothing changes by the deadline, all universities and inter-university centres would be shut.
The unions stressed that the planned strike was not their preferred option but insisted it was the only way to compel the government to act.
The warning comes amid heightened tension in the education sector, with fears that another round of industrial action could cripple the already fragile academic calendar across Nigeria’s public universities.
