A potential new phase of industrial tension appears to be emerging in Nigeria’s federal universities, following the contentious distribution of N50 billion recently disbursed by the Federal Government to address outstanding entitlements owed to university personnel.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), representing the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has forcefully opposed the allocation structure.
Reports indicate that 80 per cent of the funds were assigned to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), while only 20 per cent was designated for non-teaching staff, which includes SSANU, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
In a sharply worded communiqué jointly signed by NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, both unions conveyed their “deep displeasure, outrage, and firm rejection” of what they labelled as an inequitable and inflammatory allocation.
“We have received, with utter disappointment, the information that 80 per cent of the sum has been allocated solely to ASUU, while the remaining 20 per cent is expected to be shared among SSANU, NASU, and NAAT,” the statement read.
“This lopsided arrangement is grossly unfair, totally unacceptable, and capable of creating industrial disharmony.”
The unions contended that the disbursement formula diminishes the vital role played by non-academic personnel and perpetuates an unfair divide between teaching and non-teaching staff within the university ecosystem.
They emphasized that non-academic staff should not be regarded as “second-class citizens” and highlighted their indispensable contributions to university operations through administrative support, technical expertise, research assistance, and institutional cohesion.
“This is not a contest of supremacy among unions,” JAC stressed. “Rather, it is about fairness, recognition, and the equitable treatment of all workers who form the backbone of the Nigerian university system.”
The unions cautioned that failure to revise the current disbursement framework could lead to significant unrest, threatening the fragile stability in the higher education sector.
“It is unnecessary to remind the government of the pivotal roles played by non-teaching staff in stabilising our universities. We urge the Federal Government to review and reverse this unfair allocation,” the communiqué stated.
SSANU and NASU affirmed their commitment to continue advocating for fairness and justice, declaring that they will not remain passive as their members are, in their words, “treated with disdain.”
