The Federal Government has released eight months’ salary arrears owed members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), barely 24 hours after the union issued a 14-day ultimatum over unpaid salaries and the incomplete implementation of its 2026 agreement with the government.
SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the development to The Telegraph, saying the release followed the two-week ultimatum issued by the association.
According to Ibrahim, the intervention demonstrates the Federal Government’s responsiveness and the commitment of the Minister of Education to honouring agreements reached with university-based unions.
The development comes less than 24 hours after SSANU warned that it could embark on an indefinite strike if the government failed to address its outstanding financial demands.
At its 56th National Executive Council meeting at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the union had demanded the immediate release of funds to affected universities and the full payment of arrears arising from the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement.
SSANU said the agreement took effect on January 1, 2026, although it was formally signed on June 29. It, however, said implementation remained incomplete in some universities due to funding and administrative challenges.
The union had warned that failure by the Federal Government to meet its demands within 14 days would compel it to commence 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 development is part of a broader dispute between the unions and the Federal Government over withheld salaries.
In October 2024, SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) commenced an indefinite nationwide strike to demand payment of four months’ withheld salaries.
The unions had accused the Federal Government of paying withheld salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) while leaving non-academic staff without similar payments.
