The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have announced plans for a one-day nationwide protest on Thursday over the Federal Government’s failure to address their long-standing demands.
Operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), both unions instructed their branches to hold emergency meetings on Wednesday to mobilise members for protest activities, including campus marches, placard displays, and press briefings.
The decision followed JAC’s review meeting on October 6, where it expressed frustration that several ultimatums had expired without government action.
Among the key grievances are the alleged unfair disbursement of the N50 billion earned allowances, delays in renegotiating the 2009 FGN/NASU/SSANU agreement, non-payment of two months’ salaries, arrears of the 25 and 35 per cent salary increments, and the non-remittance of third-party deductions for May and June 2022.
JAC had initially issued a seven-day ultimatum to the government on September 15, later extending it by 14 days, which lapsed on Monday, October 6.
In a circular titled “Commencement of Protest Actions,” dated October 6 and signed by NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, all members were directed to fully participate.
The memo stated, “Following the inauguration of the Joint Consultative Committee by the Honourable Minister of Education to look into the demands of JAC of NASU & SSANU, the committee met twice — on Friday, 19th September 2025, and Monday, 6th October 2025 — with little progress, as our demands remain unresolved despite the extension of the ultimatum.
“In light of this development, the National JAC hereby directs branch leadership in universities and inter-university centres nationwide to convene a joint congress on Wednesday, 8th October 2025, to mobilise for a massive and effective one-day protest on Thursday, 9th October 2025.”
The unions stressed that all members in both federal and state universities “are expected to strictly comply with this directive,” urging unity and discipline for a successful protest.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, recently accused the Federal Government of insincerity, warning that the unions could escalate their protest into an indefinite strike if demands remain unmet.
“Ours will not be the ‘mother of all strikes’; it will be the grandfather of all strikes,” Ibrahim declared. “When SSANU or NASU strikes, you know what it means. We must take our destinies in our hands.”
He lamented that non-academic university workers remain “the worst hit financially, economically, and psychologically.”
Both unions, like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have had ongoing disputes with the government over welfare and funding issues in Nigerian universities
Advertisement
