Strike: SSANU, NASU prolong deadline
Strike: SSANU, NASU prolong deadline
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) has extended its strike ultimatum to the Federal Government by two weeks.
The unions had earlier issued a seven-day notice over unresolved welfare demands, cautioning that a nationwide strike was imminent if their grievances remained unaddressed.
In a joint statement signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions condemned what they described as the unfair distribution of earned allowances to university staff, alongside the non-payment of other outstanding entitlements.
Ibrahim recalled that JAC had, in a letter dated June 18, 2025, alerted the government to lingering labour disputes, which subsequently prompted a meeting with the Minister of Education on July 4, 2025.
In a fresh letter addressed to chapters of the unions nationwide on Tuesday, the leadership of the union noted that the decision to extend the ultimatum followed a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, on Friday, September 19, 2025.
“The leadership of JAC of NASU and SSANU, arising from a meeting held on Monday, 22nd September, 2025, decided to keep you updated on the current status of our agitations forwarded for resolution to the Federal Government.
“You will recall that in our last correspondence, we intimated to you about our letter addressed to the Minister of Education, calling for urgent intervention in outstanding labour matters affecting NASU and SSANU members in the universities and inter-university centres by giving the government an ultimatum of seven days, failing which members will embark on a series of legitimate industrial actions.
The unions stated that, following their earlier ultimatum, the government set up a joint consultative committee to address their concerns.
According to them, the committee held a meeting on Friday, September 19, 2025, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Abel O. Enitan. Also in attendance were the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Director of Tertiary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, along with other officials of the Education Ministry.
The letter noted that while the discussions at the meeting centred on the unions’ demands, no concrete resolutions were reached, making further deliberations necessary.
Consequently, the Joint Action Committee announced that it had resolved to extend its ultimatum by another two weeks, effective Tuesday.
“This extension is to allow the government adequate time to initiate the necessary steps to address our demands. However, if nothing is done within the period, the JAC will have no choice but to embark on a series of lawful industrial actions once the extension lapses,” the unions warned.
