SSANU and NASU protest on Thursday over unpaid allowances and unresolved welfare demands, accusing the government of insincerity

SSANU and NASU protest will take place nationwide on Thursday, 9 October 2025, as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) jointly move against what they describe as the Federal Government’s persistent neglect of their welfare demands.

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The unions, operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC), have directed all branches to hold emergency congresses on Wednesday to mobilise members ahead of the one-day protest.

Activities will include campus marches, placard displays, and press conferences to draw attention to their grievances.

JAC reached the decision on October 6, after reviewing the government’s failure to act on a series of ultimatums issued since mid-September.

The unresolved issues include the alleged unfair disbursement of N50 billion in Earned Allowances, delays in renegotiating the 2009 FGN-NASU/SSANU Agreement, and the non-payment of two months’ outstanding salaries.

Other demands cover the arrears of 25 and 35 percent salary increases, as well as the non-remittance of third-party deductions for May and June 2022.

In a circular titled Commencement of Protest Actions, signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, NASU’s General Secretary, and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, SSANU’s National President, the unions stated that the protest had become unavoidable due to the government’s failure to make meaningful progress despite the intervention of the Minister of Education’s Joint Consultative Committee.

The letter urged members across all federal and state universities to “mobilise for a massive and effective one-day protest,” insisting that full compliance from all branches was vital to achieving results.

SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, criticised the government’s handling of workers’ welfare, describing it as “insincere and neglectful.”

He warned that if their demands remain unmet, the unions would embark on an “indefinite and absolute strike.”

“Ours will not be the mother of all strikes; it will be the grandfather of all strikes,” Ibrahim warned. “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 are among the worst hit financially, economically, and psychologically, noting that their conditions of service have deteriorated significantly in recent years.

Both SSANU and NASU, like their counterpart ASUU, have long been at odds with the government over issues of staff welfare, salary arrears, and poor funding in public universities.

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Their latest protest underscores mounting frustration within the nation’s tertiary education system and signals the possibility of another prolonged shutdown if the government fails to act swiftly.