SSANU condemns government's inconsistent approach to talks, warns of potential strike

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has sharply criticized the Federal Government for its prolonged delay in finalizing the 2009 FGN/SSANU renegotiation agreement, cautioning that this inaction threatens to destabilize the industrial harmony prevailing in universities.

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At its 15th Zonal Executive Council (ZEC) meeting, held at Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, Edo State, the South-South zone of SSANU voiced profound concern over the stalled negotiations, which have triggered widespread unease among non-teaching staff, particularly given that the government has already concluded and started implementing agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) since January 2026.

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A communique issued after the meeting, signed by Comrade Azuma Cheta, National Vice President, and Comr. Iduh Julius, Zonal Secretary, expressed the association's deepening frustration amidst the ongoing public sector wage crisis in Nigeria.

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The communique denounced the government's delay as a "double standard", emphasizing that senior staff and lecturers are "equal stakeholders" in the university system, and that this disparity undermines the harmony achieved in tertiary institutions.

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The South-South zone condemned the government's approach as a "divisive policy" that poses a direct threat to the hard-won peace in universities, and pledged to fully cooperate with the national SSANU leadership in pursuing "any constitutional means" to compel compliance.

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The communique warned that the Federal Government's "divisive policy" could disrupt the existing industrial peace in universities, and urged the government to promptly reconvene all stakeholders to finalize, sign, and implement the agreement.

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The ZEC-in-Session resolved to cooperate with the national SSANU leadership in using "any constitutional means" to press their demands, signaling a potential escalation of the situation if their concerns are ignored.