FG pays eight months’ withheld salaries to SSANU workers – The Witness Nigeria

The Federal Government has released eight months’ salary arrears owed members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), averting a threatened indefinite strike by the union.

The payment was made barely 24 hours after SSANU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government over outstanding salary arrears and delays in implementing the 2026 agreement reached with university-based unions.

SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the development to Channels Television, saying the payment followed the ultimatum issued by the association.

Ibrahim said the intervention reflected the Federal Government’s willingness to address the concerns of the union and credited the Minister of Education with helping to facilitate the implementation of agreements reached with university unions.

The payment comes shortly after SSANU threatened to commence an indefinite strike if its outstanding financial demands were not addressed.

At its 56th National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, the union called for the immediate release of funds to affected universities and the payment of outstanding arrears arising from the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement.

The agreement took effect on January 1, 2026, although it was formally signed on June 29. SSANU had complained that its implementation remained incomplete in some universities because of funding and administrative challenges.

The union had warned that failure to meet its demands within 14 days would lead to a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action” without further notice.

However, Ibrahim said the planned industrial action had now been averted following the release of the eight months’ salary arrears.

The latest payment is also linked to a broader dispute over salaries withheld from university workers.

In October 2024, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike over the payment of four months’ withheld salaries.

The unions had protested what they described as unequal treatment after the Federal Government paid withheld salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), while non-academic university workers were left without similar payments.

With the latest release, SSANU members are expected to receive the outstanding eight months’ salaries, easing the immediate tension between the union and the Federal Government.