The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has issued the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum to resolve outstanding salary arrears and fully implement provisions of the 2026 agreement with the union.
The development has raised fresh concerns over another disruption to Nigeria’s university system, barely months after previous industrial disputes involving university workers.
SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, announced the ultimatum after the union’s National Executive Council meeting, demanding immediate payment of outstanding arrears arising from the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU agreement.
The union warned that failure to meet its demands within the stipulated period could trigger an indefinite strike without further notice.
SSANU said the outstanding payments relate to the implementation of its salary structure and other provisions contained in the agreement with the Federal Government.
The union’s latest position contradicts the supplied claim that eight months of salary arrears had already been released.
As of the latest official SSANU communication and reporting on October 5–6, the association was still demanding payment of outstanding arrears and warning of industrial action.
The dispute centres not only on salary arrears but also on the broader implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU agreement.
SSANU has previously said the agreement provides for a 35 per cent salary review through the CONTTA structure, improved earned allowances, staff development and other welfare-related provisions.
The latest ultimatum places the Federal Government under renewed pressure to resolve the outstanding issues before the deadline expires.
Any fresh industrial action by non-teaching university staff could have consequences for administrative, technical and support services across federal universities.
The development therefore represents another test of the government’s ability to maintain industrial harmony in the university sector while implementing recently negotiated agreements.