Academic and administrative activities across Nigeria’s public universities face imminent collapse as the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) issued a strict 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the immediate release of funds to implement the newly signed 2026 collective bargaining agreement and settle all outstanding financial backlogs.
​The warning was contained in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of SSANU’s emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja main campus, and formally presented to reporters during a press conference at 11:00 AM on Monday, October 5, by the union’s National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim.
​Ibrahim warned that should the government fail to meet the union’s demands by the midnight deadline on the 14th day, non-academic personnel in all federal and state institutions will down tools indefinitely without further notice.
​At the heart of the labor dispute is the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, which was formally executed on June 29, 2026, with retroactive financial effect from January 1, 2026. SSANU expressed frustration over what it described as the government’s persistent delay in releasing the required funding to operationalize the accord across tertiary institutions.
​The union’s demands include; The immediate disbursement of central funds for backdated payments under the Consolidated University Teaching and Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTTA) effective from January 1, 2026.
The unconditional payment of the remaining two months’ withheld salaries stemming from the 2022 nationwide strike action and full settlement of one year’s worth of accrued arrears resulting from the approved 25% and 35% wage increments.
The demand also include State Universities Integration, which allows direct directives ensuring state governments implement the negotiated framework for state-owned institutions to prevent disparity in working conditions.
​Addressing journalists at the assembly hall, Ibrahim criticized the government’s reliance on institutional internally generated revenue to bridge the funding gap.
​”Implementation cannot be declared complete when the actual money meant for our workers remains locked in government coffers,” Ibrahim said. “A signed agreement is not a decorative document. Our members have exercised extreme patience while bearing the heavy burden of current economic pressures, but that patience is now exhausted.”
​Beyond financial grievances, SSANU formally rejected the federal plan, announced by Minister of Education Tunji Alausa, to enter into a 35-year concession agreement for King’s College, Lagos. The union argued that transferring operational or physical control of legacy institutions to private managers undermines public access and sets a concerning precedent for public education management nationwide.
​The 14-day notice places immediate pressure on both the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to initiate emergency reconciliation talks.
​As of press time, representatives from the Ministry of Education have not issued an official response to the notice. Student union bodies and university vice-chancellors have voiced growing concern that a prolonged shutdown would once again disrupt academic calendars and stall ongoing research across the country.
