The National Executive Council of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a strong warning about the ongoing negotiations between university-based unions and the Federal Government. They say that no final agreement has been reached and that industrial action will be taken if talks are not finished by the end of April.
The position was made clear in a statement released after a special NEC meeting on Saturday at the union’s national secretariat in Abuja, where leaders talked about how the negotiations were going.
The National President of SSANU, Muhammad Ibrahim, signed a statement that was given to the press on Sunday. It said that the NEC had confirmed that “the renegotiation process with the Federal Government is still ongoing and has not been concluded.”
The council also said it was worried about what it called misleading reports in the public space that made it seem like the process was over.
It pointed to the spread of a letter that supposedly showed support for a 30% increase in allowances, saying that talks were still going on and no binding agreement had been reached.
NEC said, “SSANU will not accept any outcome that is less than the negotiated understanding reached during the renegotiation process. They insist that fairness, due process, and the principles of collective bargaining must be followed.”
The council stuck to its earlier position as part of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU. It gave the Federal Government until April 1 to April 30, 2026, to finish negotiations and sign agreements.
It said that if the deadline wasn’t met, the unions would have to go on strike.
The message said that SSANU “will have no choice but to start an indefinite, full, and total industrial action with NASU.”
The council told all members to stay calm but alert, and to stay together in case the union leadership gives them any orders.
The message said, “NEC called on all members of the Union across the branches to stay calm, watchful, united, and ready to fully comply with the decisions of the Union in defense of their welfare, dignity, and collective interest.”
It also said that SSANU would keep fighting for members’ rights and welfare, saying that the union “will continue to pursue justice with firmness, unity, and resolve.”
The most recent warning comes after an earlier message sent out after SSANU’s 54th National Executive Council meeting at Ekiti State University. At that meeting, the union said it was unhappy with how slowly the renegotiations were going and gave the Federal Government a final ultimatum.
At the time, SSANU also talked about how salaries were late, universities weren’t getting enough money, and working conditions were getting worse all over the system.
In that earlier position, the union had made it clear that long and unproductive negotiations were not acceptable. It had also warned that if its demands were not met, it would go on strike with other non-teaching staff unions.
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