By Mustafa Abubakar
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), which comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has urged the Federal Government to urgently address all pending welfare issues and pay withheld salaries in order to sustain the peaceful atmosphere currently pervading the nation’s University system.
The call was made last Thursday (October 9, 2025) during a peaceful rally held at the University of Ilorin as members of the unions joined their counterparts across the country to demand the implementation of outstanding agreements and arrears of allowances.
The JAC members, who gathered at the NASU Secretariat, expressed concerns over what they described as the government’s snail-speed reaction to their plight.
Addressing the rally, the SSANU Chairman, Comrade Olushola Naheem Falowo, said the action was a moral appeal to the government to act before the situation snowballs into a strike that could disrupt academic activities nationwide.
“We have always maintained that SSANU and NASU members are law-abiding citizens who do not love to go on strike. We don’t want a situation when we are left with no option other than that. We are calling on the National Assembly, the Minister of Education, and all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene before it degenerates further,”Comrade Falowo stated.
He explained that the Unions’ grievances include the non-payment of withheld two-month salaries from the 2022 strike, failure to remit third-party deductions, and government’s delay in paying arrears of the 25% and 35% salary increments approved for University workers.
“From 2009 to 2025, everything in this country has changed; food, transportation, energy, and hospital bills have all skyrocketed. Government must act and review our conditions of service,” Comrade Falowo added.
Also speaking, the NASU Chairman, Comrade Ibraheem Zubair, expressed dissatisfaction with the method adopted in the sharing of the ₦50 billion released for non-teaching staff allowances, noting that only 20% was allocated to their Unions while some universities and inter-university centres were excluded entirely.
“We are demanding the release of our share of the ₦50 billion earned allowance and full payment of one-year arrears of salary increments,” he said.
The Union leaders also urged the Federal Government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement, which they described as outdated and unreflective of current economic realities.
They further decried the hardship faced by retired members who have been unable to access their pension funds due to unremitted contributions, calling on the government to treat non-teaching staff with dignity as critical stakeholders in the university system.
The peaceful rally, which was held simultaneously across universities nationwide, ended with a renewed appeal to the Federal Government to honour its commitments and ensure lasting industrial harmony in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
