Strike: SSANU, NASU Defer Strike Action Following Government Talks

The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities has prolonged its strike deadline by a further fortnight. This decision was reached after discussions with government representatives failed to yield definitive solutions to the unions’ grievances.

A meeting chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, on Friday, September 19, 2025, established a joint consultative committee to examine the demands. While deliberations occurred, no concrete resolutions were achieved, prompting the unions to grant an extension until early October to allow the government to initiate requisite processes.

The core disputes involve the allocation of a N50 billion earned allowances package, which the unions allege was unfairly distributed, favouring academic staff. Further issues include the non-payment of outstanding salaries and arrears from a 25/35 per cent salary increment, alongside delays in renegotiating the 2009 agreement with the government. The unions have expressed frustration over being sidelined in negotiations, contrasting their treatment with that of the academic staff union.

The unions have declared that should the government fail to address their demands satisfactorily within this new timeline, they will proceed with industrial action upon the expiration of the extension.