THE SENIOR Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called for the urgent harmonisation of salary disbursements across all federal and state institutions to ensure fairness and equity.
The demand was made in a communiqué issued on Monday at the conclusion of the union’s 51st National Executive Council (NEC) held at the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano State.
SSANU, in the communiqué signed by its National President, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, and made available to the media, expressed strong disapproval over the persistent delay in salary payments to staff of federal universities, often paid weeks after other federal workers have been paid.
The union described this practice as discriminatory, unjust, and unacceptable. “The union demands the immediate harmonisation of salary disbursements across all federal and state institutions to ensure fairness and equity,” the communiqué stated.
The union also condemned the continued withholding of salaries of SSANU members who participated in the 2022 industrial action, demanding that the federal government release the outstanding two months’ withheld salaries without further delay, as a gesture of good faith and commitment to restoring industrial harmony within the university system.
The communiqué further highlighted the union’s concern over government’s repeated failure to honour Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), Memoranda of Action (MoAs), and other duly negotiated collective bargaining agreements with SSANU.
According to the union, such agreements reached through structured dialogue and mutual consent, are legally binding and must be fully implemented.
“NEC warns that if this pattern of neglect continues, the union will have no choice but to explore all lawful and appropriate avenues to compel compliance,” stated the communiqué.
The NEC also criticised the inequitable distribution of the ₦50 billion Earned Allowances, where only 20% was allocated to members of the three non-teaching unions – SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The union described the allocation as unjust, discriminatory, and a failure to recognise the vital role SSANU members play in the smooth operation of Nigerian universities, further noting that the distribution also violates the MoU signed with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU in August 2022.
“NEC calls for a redress of this injustice against our members in universities and inter-university centres,” the communiqué stated, as it expressed disappointment over the prolonged silence and inaction of the Federal Government’s Renegotiation Committee regarding the 2009 FG/SSANU Agreement and other unresolved issues affecting union members.
SSANU also called on the federal government to address the worsening economic conditions, rising cost of living, and escalating insecurity across the country. The union specifically referenced the recent mass killings in Benue, Plateau, and other states, and called for urgent intervention.
Despite its grievances, the union reaffirmed its dedication to national development, stating its readiness to contribute its professional expertise to education reform in service to the nation.
