NASU, SSANU Begin Indefinite Strike Today Over Delayed Renegotiation

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has directed members across the country to embark on a total and indefinite strike today.

The action, the unions said, started at midnight on May 1.

The industrial action follows the Federal Government’s alleged failure to conclude the renegotiation of the 2009 Agreement, a long-standing issue between the unions and the government, despite renewed engagements aimed at resolving the impasse.

The unions said they decided on the strike after last-minute talks with the Federal Government had collapsed.

They accused the authorities of delaying the renegotiation process and mishandling the contentious 30 per cent CONTTA (Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure) salary increment proposal.

The NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU National President and JAC Chairman, Mohammed Ibrahim, jointly signed the directive for the strike.

At the heart of the crisis is what the unions called the government’s “unacceptable delay” in concluding the renegotiation process alongside the controversial handling of the proposed 30 per cent CONTTA increment.

A crucial meeting held on April 29 between JAC leaders and top government officials, including the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa; the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad; the Permanent Secretary, Abel Enitan; and heads of key regulatory agencies, such as the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education, ended without a concrete resolution.

The unions noted that although the government’s team appealed for the suspension of the strike notice and subsequently withdrew the widely criticised 30 per cent CONTTA offer, the government failed to present an alternative proposal or a clear timeline for concluding negotiations.

The unions cited a clear mandate from their members that only the full implementation of their demands—as contained in their letters dated March 27 and April 18, 2026—would be acceptable.

“With no new offer on the table and no definite commitment from the government, we have no option but to act in line with the directive of our members,” the circular stated.

The strike affects all federal and state universities as well as inter-university centres across the country.

Also, the unions announced that they have deployed national monitoring teams to ensure full compliance, adding that any branch found undermining the strike would face severe sanctions.

“All NASU and SSANU members are hereby enjoined to comply fully with this directive for the survival of our existence in the system,” the statement added.