The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU) has extended its strike notice to the Federal Government by an additional two weeks.
The unions had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to press demands over unresolved welfare concerns, warning of a possible nationwide industrial action.
In a letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions condemned what they described as the “unjust disbursement of the earned allowances to staff of universities, non-payment of outstanding allowances, among others.”
Ibrahim explained that JAC had previously drawn the government’s attention to the issues in a letter dated June 18, 2025, which eventually led to a meeting with the Minister of Education on July 4, 2025.
According to a fresh letter sent to union branches across the country on Tuesday, the decision to extend the ultimatum followed a meeting held on September 19, 2025, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan.
“The leadership of JAC of NASU and SSANU, arising from a meeting held on Monday, 22nd September, 2025, decided to keep you updated on the current status of our agitations forwarded for resolution to the Federal Government.
ALSO READ
“You will recall that in our last correspondence, we intimated to you about our letter addressed to the Minister of Education, calling for urgent intervention in outstanding labour matters affecting NASU and SSANU members in the universities and inter-university centres by giving the government an ultimatum of seven days, failing which members will embark on a series of legitimate industrial actions.
“It is important to inform you that the government, on receiving our ultimatum, constituted a joint consultative committee to look into our agitations.
“The committee met on Friday, 19th September, 2025, and the meeting was chaired by Mr Abel O. Enitan, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, while the following stakeholders were also at the meeting; the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); the Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education; the Director, Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, alongside a few other staff of Federal Ministry of Education.
“The meeting’s deliberations focused on our demands, but concrete resolutions of our requests have not been met, necessitating the continuation of discussions,” the letter read.
The unions said their leadership therefore resolved to extend the ultimatum by another two weeks, beginning Tuesday.
“In view of this, the JAC of NASU and SSANU has resolved to extend the ultimatum by an additional two weeks, effective today.
“This extension provides the government with an opportunity to initiate the requisite processes to address our demands.
“If the government fails to do the needful within this extended period, the JAC will summarily proceed with a series of legitimate industrial actions upon expiration of the extension,” the letter concluded.
