The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has given the Federal Government a deadline of December 31, 2025, to finalise renegotiations with the union. It warned that universities will face an indefinite closure starting January 2026 if the talks remain unsettled.
In a statement released on Monday following its 53rd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Jos and signed by its President, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, SSANU criticised the government for lacking commitment to resolving issues affecting non-teaching staff.
The union accused the government of excluding its members from payments of Earned Allowances and sidelining them in the renegotiation process.
SSANU demanded the immediate release of the N50 billion agreed upon in the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and called for the inclusion of Inter-University Centres and research institutes, which were previously left out, in the upcoming disbursement.
The union warned that failure to reach a credible renegotiation by the end of December would lead to “total and comprehensive” industrial action.
SSANU also expressed concern over the increasing number of school kidnappings, noting that recent abductions in Kebbi and Niger States indicate worsening insecurity around educational institutions.
It urged the government to enhance campus security by adopting modern surveillance technologies, strengthening perimeter protection, and improving intelligence operations.
The union rejected the Federal Ministry of Education’s proposal to introduce Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements for municipal services in universities, stating that past PPP models in other sectors resulted in job losses and deteriorated working conditions.
SSANU insisted that no staff should lose their jobs or face downgrades under any such arrangement.
The communiqué also drew attention to the poor state of university infrastructure, mentioning unreliable electricity, faulty water systems, dilapidated hostels, outdated laboratories, and weak security frameworks.
It called for consistent funding, timely budget releases, and stricter oversight of resources.
The union highlighted that rising inflation and fuel prices have exacerbated hardships for university workers and demanded an urgent wage review that reflects current economic realities.
