Nigerian Universities are facing the prospect of another crippling industrial action after the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities issued a firm April 30 deadline to the Federal Government to conclude renegotiation talks, warning that failure to act will trigger an indefinite Nationwide Strike.
The ultimatum was contained in a communiqué signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim at the close of the union's 54th National Executive Council meeting, held at Ekiti State University. The document described ongoing negotiations as "slow, inconclusive," lacking commitment, clear timelines and tangible outcomes, and warned that the Union would have no alternative but to join forces with its partner in the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU to commence a total industrial action if the government fails to reconvene talks and reach a fair, time bound conclusion before the deadline.
"Should the government fail to do so within this period, the Union will have no other alternative but to liaise with its partner in the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU to commence an indefinite, comprehensive, and total industrial action," the communiqué read.
Beyond the threat of strike action, the Union raised a series of grievances that paint a troubling picture of conditions across Nigeria's Public University System. SSANU decried persistent delays in salary payments and withheld entitlements, warning that the situation has imposed severe hardship on members and their families while weakening morale and undermining productivity. The Union recommended the adoption of the Remita platform to improve the reliability of salary disbursement and demanded the immediate establishment of a unified payment structure.
On earned allowances, SSANU criticised the Government's handling of the N50 billion approved in 2022, describing disbursement as neither complete nor equitable. It also objected to the exclusion of Inter University Centres and Research Institutes from the payment process, insisting that all eligible workers must be included.
The Union further cited worsening economic hardship driven by inflation and rising living costs, calling on the government to implement wage reviews, improved social protection, and practical relief measures to cushion the impact on University workers. Campus security also featured in the communiqué, with SSANU urging authorities to strengthen surveillance, lighting, perimeter protection, and rapid response mechanisms across Institutions.
The Union noted that it has exercised patience and goodwill despite mounting frustrations, but made clear that goodwill has a limit. For the hundreds of thousands of students whose academic calendars have already been disrupted by previous strikes, the April 30 deadline is not merely a union matter. It is a countdown that could once again bring Nigeria's Public University system to a standstill.
