The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) and Allied Institutions has extended the strike ultimatum issued to the government by two weeks.

Recall that both unions earlier gave the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum over unresolved welfare issues, warning of a looming nationwide strike.

In a joint letter signed by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions decried the “unjust disbursement of the earned allowances to staff of universities, non-payment of outstanding allowances, among others.”

Ibrahim recalled that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU had, in a letter dated June 18, 2025, drawn the attention of the government to unresolved labour matters. That letter, he noted, led to a meeting with the minister on July 4, 2025.

In a fresh letter addressed to chapters of the unions nationwide on Tuesday, the leadership of the union noted that the decision to extend the ultimatum followed a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan, on Friday, September 19, 2025.

“The leadership of JAC of NASU and SSANU, arising from a meeting held on Monday, 22nd September, 2025, decided to keep you updated on the current status of our agitations forwarded for resolution to the Federal Government.

“You will recall that in our last correspondence, we intimated to you about our letter addressed to the Minister of Education, calling for urgent intervention in outstanding labour matters affecting NASU and SSANU members in the universities and inter-university centres by giving the government an ultimatum of seven days, failing which members will embark on a series of legitimate industrial actions.

“It is important to inform you that the government, on receiving our ultimatum, constituted a joint consultative committee to look into our agitations.

“The committee met on Friday, 19th September, 2025, and the meeting was chaired by Mr. Abel O. Enitan, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, while the following stakeholders were also at the meeting; the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC); the Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education; the Director, Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, alongside a few other staff of Federal Ministry of Education.

“The meeting’s deliberations focused on our demands, but concrete resolutions of our requests have not been met, necessitating the continuation of discussions,” the letter read.

The unions said the leadership resolved to extend the ultimatum by an additional two weeks, effective from Tuesday.

“In view of this, the JAC of NASU and SSANU has resolved to extend the ultimatum by an additional two weeks, effective today.

“This extension provides the government with an opportunity to initiate the requisite processes to address our demands.

“If the government fails to do the needful within this extended period, the JAC will summarily proceed with a series of legitimate industrial actions upon expiration of the extension,” the letter concluded. (The PUNCH)