University Strike Looms as FG Holds Emergency Talks With SSANU, NASU Over April 30 Deadline

Nigerian universities could grind to a halt tomorrow after the Federal Government held emergency talks with non-teaching staff unions on Wednesday in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike set for April 30.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) were all invited to the Federal Ministry of Education Conference Hall at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.

The unions issued the April 30 ultimatum after rejecting the government’s 30 percent salary increase offer — which they said was not the product of collective bargaining. Their core demand: full renegotiation and signing of the CONUA and CONTISS salary scales before the deadline hits.

Unions Holding Firm

A union insider told Vanguard that all three associations remain unmoved. “We have our demands, and we said the renegotiated agreement must be signed on or before April 30. We rejected their 30 percent offer. We expect them to do the needful by the 30th,” the source said.

“Our members resolved this at the NEC meeting. We don’t know if they’ll make a new offer or just beg us not to strike. We won’t change our position — if they fail to make a reasonable offer, we proceed.”

NASU separately threatened to extend the action to May 1 if the government falls short. The standoff echoes years of similar battles, with non-teaching staff arguing they are consistently sidelined in salary negotiations that centre almost entirely on ASUU.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no outcome from the emergency meeting had been made public. If the strike goes ahead, it would shut down academic operations at federal universities, inter-university centres, and affiliated institutions nationwide.

Sources: Vanguard, Punch, Guardian Nigeria, ThisDay