‘Conclude renegotiation by Dec 31 or face nationwide shutdown’ — SSANU tells FG
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has given the Federal Government up to December 31, 2025, to conclude its ongoing renegotiation with the union, warning that universities will be shut down indefinitely from January 2026 if the talks remain unresolved.
In a communiqué issued on Monday after its 53rd National Executive Council, NEC, meeting at the University of Jos, and signed by its President, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, SSANU said the government has failed to show commitment to addressing issues affecting non-teaching staff.
The union accused the government of sidelining its members in the payment of Earned Allowances and in the renegotiation process.
It insisted that the N50 billion agreed upon in the 2022 MoU be released immediately and that Inter-University Centres and research institutes excluded from previous payments be included in the next disbursement.
SSANU warned that failure to conclude a credible renegotiation by the end of December would trigger “total and comprehensive” industrial action.
The union also raised concern over the rising spate of school kidnappings, saying the recent abductions in Kebbi and Niger States reflect worsening insecurity around educational institutions.
It urged the government to strengthen campus security through modern surveillance systems, improved perimeter protection and better intelligence gathering.
SSANU rejected the Federal Ministry of Education’s proposal to introduce Public-Private Partnership, PPP, arrangements for municipal services in universities, saying previous PPP models in other sectors had led to job losses and poorer working conditions.
It insisted that no staff should lose their jobs or be downgraded under any such arrangement.
The communiqué also highlighted the deteriorating state of infrastructure in universities, citing unreliable electricity, faulty water systems, dilapidated hostels, outdated laboratories and weak security structures.
It called for predictable funding, timely releases and stricter monitoring of resources.
The union said rising inflation and fuel costs have worsened the hardship faced by university workers and demanded an urgent wage review in line with current economic realities.
