The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have served a stringent seven-day strike notice to the President Bola Tinubu-led government. This ultimatum, effective from Monday, September 15, 2025, comes as a direct consequence of what the unions describe as the persistent neglect of non-teaching staff in Nigerian universities, threatening to initiate legitimate industrial actions, including a potential nationwide shutdown of public universities by September 22 if their demands remain unaddressed.

The joint action, articulated in a letter dated September 12, 2025, and addressed to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, lists several long-standing grievances. These include the unjust disbursement of earned allowances, the non-payment of outstanding withheld salaries, the deliberate delay in implementing agreed-upon salary increments, and the stalled renegotiation of critical agreements from 2009. The unions, under their Joint Action Committee (JAC), emphasize that these issues have been repeatedly brought to the government’s attention without satisfactory resolution.

A central point of contention revolves around the N50 billion Earned Allowances. SSANU and NASU assert that their members in the universities were unfairly shortchanged in its distribution, while those in Inter-University Centres were completely excluded. This alleged skewed disbursement was a major topic at a meeting convened by the Minister of Education on July 4, 2025, where a resolution was reportedly reached to establish a Tripartite Committee. This committee, intended to comprise representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the JAC of NASU and SSANU, was tasked with resolving the impasse; however, the unions lament that no progress has been made on its constitution or mandate since then.

Furthermore, the unions are demanding the immediate payment of two months' worth of outstanding withheld salaries owed to their members. They also insist on the arrears of the 25/35 percent salary increments, which the Minister of Education had pledged to expedite action on during the July 4, 2025, meeting. Despite this commitment, the unions highlight a glaring silence and a perceived deliberate decision by the Minister’s office not to address these crucial issues affecting non-teaching staff.

Another significant grievance is the protracted delay in renegotiating the 2009 FGN-NASU/SSANU Agreements. The unions recall that a Yayale Ahmed-led Renegotiation Committee was inaugurated on October 15, 2024, specifically to review the 2009 Agreements with University-Based Unions. While the JAC of NASU and SSANU had an inaugural meeting with this committee on December 10, 2024, the Federal Government Team has since effectively gone into limbo regarding the non-teaching staff unions. This stands in stark contrast to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), with whom the same Federal Government Team has reportedly concluded renegotiation and is on the verge of signing an agreement, despite SSANU and NASU fulfilling all requisite justifications, including resubmitting their Memoranda of Demands.

The unions' frustration is compounded by a series of ignored communications. They reminded the Minister of earlier submissions, including a June 18, 2025, letter from the JAC and a follow-up reminder dated August 18, 2025, all of which, they claim, have been met with unresponsiveness. The September 12, 2025, letter explicitly accuses the Minister of "levity in handling non-teaching staff welfare" and a general "lack of responsiveness" from the government to their legitimate concerns, ultimately compelling them to resort to industrial action.

With the seven-day ultimatum commencing on September 15, 2025, SSANU and NASU have made it clear that failure by the Nigerian government to address their demands will lead to a comprehensive series of legitimate industrial actions, including strikes. This impending crisis in the tertiary education sector echoes similar ongoing disputes, notably with ASUU, indicating a broader struggle within Nigerian universities concerning staff welfare and government commitments.