The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a firm warning to the Federal Government over the status of ongoing negotiations on staff welfare and allowances, setting 30 April 2026 as the deadline for concluding and signing a binding agreement.
The position was outlined in a communiqué released on Sunday following a special National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Saturday at the union’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Signed by National President Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim, the communiqué reviewed the current state of engagement between university-based unions and the government, emphasising that discussions remain unresolved.
NEC categorically stated that “the renegotiation process with the Federal Government is still ongoing and has not been concluded,” pushing back against public claims suggesting otherwise.
The council specifically challenged reports indicating that an agreement had been reached, including references to a letter purportedly approving a 30 per cent increase in allowances. According to SSANU, no binding document has been endorsed, and negotiations are still in progress.
From a labour relations perspective, the union underscored its commitment to the principles of fairness, due process, and collective bargaining. It warned that any outcome falling short of previously discussed terms would be rejected. “SSANU will not accept any outcome that falls below the negotiated understanding reached in the course of the renegotiation process,” NEC stated.
Operating under the Joint Action Committee with the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), SSANU reaffirmed that the negotiation window runs from 1 April to 30 April 2026. Failure by the government to finalise and sign an agreement within this period, the union warned, would trigger industrial action.
The communiqué made clear that SSANU “will have no alternative but to, along with NASU, commence an indefinite, comprehensive, and total industrial action,” signalling the risk of a nationwide disruption to university operations.
Members across branches were urged to remain prepared to act on directives from national leadership. NEC called on members “to remain calm, vigilant, united, and prepared to fully comply with the decisions of the Union in defence of their welfare, dignity, and collective interest.”
The union further stressed its resolve to continue advocating for improved working conditions, stating that it “will continue to pursue justice with firmness, unity, and resolve.”
This latest position builds on resolutions reached at SSANU’s 54th NEC meeting at Ekiti State University, where concerns were raised over delays in renegotiation, persistent salary arrears, inadequate university funding, and deteriorating workplace conditions—issues that remain central to the broader HR challenges facing Nigeria’s higher education sector.
