Nigeria’s public university system is set for major disruption as non-academic staff unions have commenced an indefinite nationwide strike following the collapse of negotiations with the Federal Government.
The joint action involves members of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), who began withdrawing their services from midnight on May 1, 2026.
The decision comes after a deadline issued by the unions expired without a final agreement on long-standing demands related to salaries, allowances, and working conditions.
Breakdown of Talks
Efforts to resolve the dispute in recent days failed to produce a consensus. Although government representatives reportedly withdrew a previously disputed circular on allowances, union leaders said the move did not address the core issues.
In a joint communication, union officials explained that the absence of a new proposal or clear timeline for concluding negotiations left them with no option but to proceed with industrial action.
“Despite acknowledging the withdrawal of the contentious letter, no alternative offer was presented to address our concerns,” the unions stated.
They further noted that members had mandated leadership to act if negotiations were not concluded by the end of April.
Key Issues Behind the Strike
At the heart of the dispute is the renegotiation of agreements between the Federal Government and non-teaching staff in tertiary institutions, a process that has stretched over several years.
The unions have raised concerns over:
Delays in concluding renegotiations
Disagreements over salary adjustments
Outstanding allowances and welfare-related issues
A proposed 30 percent increase in certain allowances was rejected by the unions, who argued that it was introduced outside a mutually agreed framework.
Union representatives insist that any adjustment must emerge from a properly concluded negotiation process.
Impact on Universities
The strike is expected to affect administrative operations across federal universities and inter-university centres nationwide. While academic activities may continue in some cases, essential services handled by non-academic staff are likely to be disrupted.
This includes areas such as admissions processing, record management, and facility maintenance, which play a critical role in the day-to-day functioning of institutions.
What Happens Next?
The Federal Government had previously engaged union leaders in last-minute talks in an attempt to avert the strike, but those efforts did not yield an agreement.
With the strike now underway, attention will turn to whether both parties can return to the negotiation table and reach a compromise in the coming days.
For now, students and university communities across the country face uncertainty as the situation unfolds.
