University Non-Teaching Staff Issue Seven-Day Strike Notice to FG

The crisis rocking Nigeria’s university system has taken a new turn as non-teaching staff under the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have threatened to down tools within seven days.

The unions accused the President Bola Tinubu-led administration of deliberately sidelining non-academic staff in the disbursement of funds and failing to honour long-standing agreements. 

They warned that unless the government responds swiftly, a nationwide shutdown of critical university services is imminent.

In a joint letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, the unions expressed frustration over what they described as “years of neglect” despite several reminders and meetings with the Ministry of Education.

Among their major grievances are the alleged unfair distribution of ₦50 billion earned allowances, non-payment of withheld salaries, and failure to implement approved 25–35 per cent salary increases. 

They also faulted the government for stalling the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with non-teaching staff, even after engaging academic unions on the same matter.

According to the unions, a July 4 meeting with the Minister of Education, Prof. Tunji Alausa, had resolved to set up a tripartite committee involving the Ministry, the National Universities Commission, and the unions to resolve the disputes. However, they claimed no progress has been made since then.

“Government cannot continue to treat us as if our contributions to the university system are insignificant. We have exercised patience long enough, but the silence is deafening,” Ibrahim said.

Adeyemi, on his part, noted that the unions had sent reminder letters in June and August without receiving any response. 

“It is unfortunate that while agreements with academic staff are nearing completion, our own negotiations have been abandoned. This amounts to discrimination,” he stated.

The unions emphasised that the strike notice, effective from September 15, is not an empty threat but a last resort to compel the government to act. 

“If nothing concrete is done within seven days, we will embark on a series of legitimate industrial actions until justice is served,” the letter warned.

The looming strike, if carried out, could paralyse essential services such as admissions processing, exam administration, and campus security, functions largely handled by non-academic staff. 

Stakeholders have already expressed concern that another disruption could worsen the crisis in Nigeria’s education sector.