SSANU Threatens 2026 Strike Over Marginalisation and Unpaid Allowances

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has warned that it will embark on a total and comprehensive industrial action in 2026 if the Federal Government fails to conclude renegotiations and present what it described as a credible and realistic offer to non-teaching staff before December 31, 2025.

The warning followed the union’s 53rd National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Jos, where members reviewed the state of universities and the wider national situation. In a communiqué signed by its National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU said non-teaching staff had been repeatedly sidelined in the payment of Earned Allowances and in government’s renegotiation processes. The union insisted that the N50 billion agreed upon in the 2022 memorandum must be released without further delay, adding that Inter-University Centres and research institutes excluded in earlier disbursements must be included in the next payment.

Ibrahim said the government had failed to show substantial commitment to SSANU in the expanded renegotiation committee while giving preferential attention to others, which he described as a pattern of deliberate exclusion. He warned that the union would initiate a system-wide strike in 2026 if the renegotiation is not concluded by the end of this year.

The union also raised concern over insecurity in educational institutions, referencing recent abductions in Niger and Kebbi States. SSANU called for improved perimeter protection, surveillance systems and stronger campus security, and emphasised that university staff must be covered by comprehensive health and life insurance.

On the Federal Government’s proposed public-private partnership arrangement for municipal services in universities, Ibrahim warned that the plan could threaten job security and lead to casualisation if not properly handled. He said the union would resist any measure that alters staff conditions without full engagement and a labour impact assessment.

Beyond university-related issues, SSANU reviewed the national situation, noting pressures on healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure. The union pointed to rising food insecurity, weak disease surveillance and the impact of flooding on communities. It urged government to strengthen essential public systems, support farmers, improve water and sanitation networks and invest in climate-resilient infrastructure to prevent further deterioration in living conditions.