In a new letter addressed to branches of the unions nationwide on Tuesday, the leadership of the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions noted it has extended the strike ultimatum issued to the government by two weeks.

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

Both unions had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over unresolved welfare concerns, cautioning that a nationwide strike could follow.

In a statement jointly issued by SSANU President, Muhammed Ibrahim, the unions condemned what they described as the unfair distribution of earned allowances to university staff, as well as the non-payment of outstanding entitlements and other unresolved issues.

Ibrahim recalled that the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU had, in a letter dated June 18, 2025, drawn the government’s attention to pending labour matters. He noted that the letter prompted a meeting with the Minister on July 4, 2025.

In the new letter issued , the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU informed union branches that it had met on September 22, 2025, to review pending grievances and update members on unresolved labour issues. The unions recalled their earlier correspondence to the Minister of Education, where they demanded urgent government action on outstanding matters within seven days or risk industrial action.

The unions said the government responded to their ultimatum by setting up a joint consultative committee, which met on September 19, 2025, under the chairmanship of Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Abel Enitan, with key stakeholders from the NUC, the Education Ministry, and the Labour Ministry in attendance. They noted that while the meeting addressed their demands, no concrete resolution was reached. Consequently, the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU resolved to extend its ultimatum by two weeks from Tuesday, warning that failure by the government to act within the period would trigger nationwide industrial action.

PUNCH.