The Federal Government has released eight months of withheld salary arrears owed members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), following the union’s threat to shut down academic activities across the country.
Politics Nigeria understands that the payment came less than 48 hours after SSANU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government over the implementation of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement and demanded the immediate settlement of outstanding financial obligations to its members.
SSANU had warned that failure to meet its demands within the stipulated period would trigger a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike action” without further notice.
The union’s demands were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 56th National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during the weekend.
Among the issues raised by the union was the payment of outstanding Consolidated University Teaching and Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTTA) arrears dating back to January 1, 2026.
The union had also demanded the payment of two months’ salaries withheld during its 2022 industrial action, as well as one-year arrears arising from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases.
However, the Federal Government moved to address part of the demands by releasing the funds covering eight months of the salary arrears.
Confirming the development, SSANU President, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, said members of the union would soon begin receiving alerts reflecting the payments.
Ibrahim described the release as evidence that constructive engagement between the government and university-based unions could produce positive results when followed by prompt action.
He particularly commended the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, for intervening in the matter and fulfilling his commitment to facilitate the release of the funds.
According to the union president, Alausa had contacted him before the ultimatum was issued to confirm that the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation were processing the funds for release.
SSANU said the minister’s intervention and the subsequent release of the arrears represented a positive departure from the delays that have often characterised the implementation of agreements reached with university workers.
The union, however, made it clear that the government’s latest action did not resolve all the outstanding issues.
It maintained that the two months’ salaries withheld during the 2022 strike and the one-year arrears resulting from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary increases remained unpaid.
SSANU described the outstanding payments as legitimate entitlements and urged the government to settle them without further delay.
The union also directed its members across various branches to liaise with their university managements to ensure that the released funds were paid promptly and judiciously.
Members were further asked to report any shortfall in their payments to the union.
Meanwhile, SSANU called on state governments and governing councils of state-owned universities to ensure full and equitable implementation of the agreement, warning that selective or delayed compliance could create fresh tension within the university system.
Although it welcomed the release of the eight months’ arrears, the union reaffirmed that it would continue to engage the government constructively in pursuit of the welfare of its members.
It also warned that where agreements were not faithfully implemented, it would not hesitate to use lawful and constitutional means to protect the rights, welfare and professional interests of university workers.
SSANU said the prompt release of the arrears had reinforced its belief that sustained engagement between the government and university-based unions could help strengthen industrial harmony and produce tangible benefits for workers, students and the wider Nigerian university system.
