The Federal Government has released eight months’ salary arrears owed members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), averting a threatened indefinite strike by the university workers’ union.
The payment comes barely 24 hours after SSANU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government over the unpaid arrears and what it described as the incomplete implementation of the 2026 agreement reached with the Federal Government.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the development to Channels Television, saying the release followed the union’s ultimatum.
SSANU Confirms Release of Salary Arrears
Ibrahim said the government’s intervention demonstrated its responsiveness to the concerns raised by the union and reflected the commitment of the Minister of Education to implementing agreements reached with university-based unions.
The development came shortly after SSANU warned that it could embark on an indefinite strike if the Federal Government failed to address its outstanding financial demands.
At its 56th National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, the union had demanded the immediate release of funds to affected universities and full payment of arrears arising from the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement.
According to the union, the agreement took effect from January 1, 2026, although it was formally signed on June 29. SSANU had complained that implementation remained incomplete in some universities because of funding and administrative challenges.
Threatened Strike Averted
SSANU had given the Federal Government 14 days to meet its demands, warning that failure to do so would result in a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action” without further notice.
However, Ibrahim said the planned industrial action had now been averted following the release of the eight months’ salary arrears.
The latest payment is part of a longer-running dispute between the government and university-based non-academic workers over withheld salaries.
SSANU, NASU Salary Dispute
In October 2024, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike over the payment of four months’ withheld salaries.
The unions had alleged that the Federal Government paid withheld salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while non-academic university workers were excluded.
The latest release of eight months’ arrears marks a significant development in the dispute and removes the immediate threat of another nationwide strike by SSANU.
