The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has raised an alarm over the delay in the payment of February 2026 salaries for federal university workers, warning that the union may be forced to withdraw its services and picket government offices if the situation persists.

The National President of SSANU, Mohammed H. Ibrahim, said the leadership of the union was compelled to draw public attention to what it described as the “growing hardship being experienced by staff of federal universities across the country due to the delay in payment of their February 2026 salaries.”

He said the situation had placed enormous financial pressure on university workers and their families across the country.

“This unfortunate situation has created significant financial strain for our members and their families,” Ibrahim said, noting that beyond the personal hardship imposed on workers, the delay in salary payment was gradually eroding confidence in the system.

“Beyond the personal hardship it imposes, the delay in salary payment is steadily eroding confidence in the system, lowering staff morale, and inevitably affecting productivity and overall institutional performance within our universities. Staff who dedicate their time and expertise to sustaining the university system deserve timely remuneration for their services.”

The union described the development as deeply troubling and called on relevant government institutions to urgently intervene to address the situation.

SSANU specifically urged the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) office within the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to ensure that the salaries are paid without further delay in order to restore stability within the university system.

“SSANU considers this development deeply troubling and calls on the relevant authorities, especially the GIFMIS office in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, to urgently address the delay and ensure the immediate payment of February salaries to restore confidence and stability within the university system,” the statement said.

The union also blamed what it described as policy inconsistency by the government in the handling of salary payments for university workers, pointing to the shifting of payment channels between platforms in recent months.

According to the union, investigations carried out showed that “the inconsistent approach in handling payment of university staff salaries, which involved jumping from GIFMIS to Remita and back in the last few months, has clearly shown the government’s inconsistency in policy direction.”

It added that the government should consider maintaining a stable payment platform for university workers. “We wish to recommend that the government should consider the adoption of the Remita platform as the channel for payment of salaries of university workers because of its seamless and reliable nature,” the statement added.

Beyond the salary issue, SSANU also expressed concern over what it described as the slow pace of the renegotiation process between the Federal Government and non-teaching university unions.

The union acknowledged the efforts of the chairman of the Federal Government renegotiation committee, Yayale Ahmed, saying his leadership had contributed to the progress recorded so far.

“While we acknowledge the efforts of the Chairman of the Federal Government Renegotiation Committee, Malam Yayale Ahmed, whose leadership and commitment have contributed to the progress made so far, the overall process has yet to reach a conclusive and satisfactory resolution.”

SSANU also took exception to recent public remarks credited to the Minister of Education suggesting that industrial harmony had already been achieved within the university system.

The union said such comments do not reflect the reality of ongoing negotiations.

“SSANU is particularly concerned by recent public comments attributed to the Honourable Minister of Education, suggesting that industrial harmony has been fully achieved within the university system and that all union concerns have been addressed. Such statements do not accurately reflect the current realities of the renegotiation process and risk creating a misleading impression among the public.”

The union further stated that while it appreciates the contributions of stakeholders working towards a resolution, the Ministry of Education must demonstrate stronger commitment to resolving the issues affecting university workers.

“For us at this point, the silence of the Honourable Minister of Education is no longer golden and it doesn’t portray camaraderie,” the statement declared.

According to SSANU, the stability of Nigeria’s university system depends not only on dialogue but also on the timely implementation of agreements and responsible communication with the public.

The union therefore urged the Federal Government to ensure the immediate payment of the outstanding February 2026 salaries of federal university staff, noting that many workers are currently observing important religious fasting periods.

“Most of our members are either observing the Ramadan fast or the Lenten fast,” the union said, stressing that the delay in salary payments at such a time has further compounded the hardship faced by university workers.

SSANU warned that failure to address the issues promptly could compel the union to explore all legitimate means of seeking redress.

“Anything short of the above will clearly invite our unions to seek redress in every legal means possible, including but not limited to withdrawal of our services and picketing of government offices concerned,” the statement said.

Despite the growing tension, the union maintained that it remains open to engagement with the government in order to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s university system.

“SSANU remains committed to constructive engagement with the federal government in the interest of sustaining industrial harmony and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s university system,” Ibrahim stated. (Nigerian Tribune)