ABUJA — The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a strict 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to complete the payment of outstanding salary arrears and fulfill the financial components of the 2026 agreement or face a total, indefinite shutdown of public universities nationwide.
The resolution was announced by SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, following the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Federal University, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, October 5, 2026, Ibrahim expressed grave concern over what the union described as “haphazard and selective” implementation of agreed financial entitlements across federal and state tertiary institutions.
“Although the 2026 agreement clearly outlined modalities for resolving lingering welfare issues, the release of accrued salary arrears remains frustratingly uneven,” Ibrahim stated. “The union will no longer tolerate endless administrative delays while our members suffer severe economic hardship.”
Among the core demands highlighted in the communique are the full disbursement of withheld salary arrears, immediate implementation of agreed allowance structures, and adequate funding for public university infrastructure.
The union also cautioned state governments against treating non-teaching staff in state-owned universities as secondary partners, demanding equal enforcement of welfare standards across all cadres.
Ibrahim noted that while officials in the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation have given verbal assurances that funds will be released shortly, SSANU’s strike notice remains active.
If the 14-day window lapses without full financial compliance, non-teaching staff across administrative, technical, and bursary departments will withdraw their services, threatening another complete paralysis of Nigeria’s university system.
