Senior University Workers Issue Fresh 14-Day Ultimatum Over Unpaid Arrears

By Adedapo Adesanya

Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have issued a fresh 14-day ultimatum for the release and payment of arrears contained in the 2026 agreement with the federal government.

The president of the association, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, stated this at a news conference in Abuja, where he read the resolutions of the association’s national executive council meeting that held at the Federal University Uyo, at the weekend.

According to him, even when the 2026 agreement was clear on the modalities to resolve the lingering issues, payments for those arrears have been implemented haphazardly, and demands that the federal government complete the payment, or risk an indefinite strike action.

The fresh move followed a stern warning issued last Thursday against delays, selective implementation and marginalisation in the rollout of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement, and that the union “will not accept unnecessary delays, selective implementation, marginalisation or any attempt to diminish the financial and non-financial provisions of the Agreement.”

Delivering the State of the Union Address at the 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the National President said implementation had “commenced in some universities” but remained incomplete in others due to “funding and administrative challenges.”

Insisting that the 2026 pact and NEC resolutions must yield measurable benefits, Ibrahim said: “Agreements and NEC resolutions must translate into concrete action and measurable benefits for our members.”

He directed branches and zones to “continue to monitor implementation, maintain accurate and verifiable membership records, document cases of non-compliance or victimisation, and provide timely reports to the National Secretariat.”

While affirming SSANU’s commitment to dialogue, the president cautioned: “Our commitment to dialogue and constructive engagement should not be mistaken for weakness.

“Where implementation is deliberately frustrated or the decisions of NEC are ignored, the Union reserves the right to take all lawful and constitutional steps necessary to defend the interests of its members.”

On welfare, Mr Ibrahim stressed that the 2026 Agreement “took effect from 1st January 2026, although it was formally signed on 29th June 2026,” and that “financial obligations arising from the effective date remain outstanding and must be fully addressed.”

“We therefore call on the Federal Government to release the necessary funds to all affected universities and Inter-University Centres to enable full implementation of the Agreement and the payment of all accrued arrears from 1st January 2026,” he said, adding: “Implementation cannot be considered complete while legitimate arrears due to our members remain unpaid.”

Beyond salaries, he listed earned allowances, promotions, pensions, career progression, staff development and fair conditions of service as continuing priorities.

Meanwhile, the association also rejected plans to transfer King’s College, Lagos, to the school’s old boys’ association, King’s College Old Boys’ Association (KCOBA).

The planned concession had generated concerns over the ownership and management of the 117-year-old institution, after the Minister of Education, Mr Tunji Alausa, announced in August that the school, King’s College (KC), Lagos, set up in 1909 by the colonial government, had been transferred to the Old Boys Association in a 35-year concession plan.