Fatimah Otunsanya
The Federal Government has invited the leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions to a meeting on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in a bid to avert the looming strike by the two university-based unions.
The strike threat followed the ongoing row on the proposed 30 per cent pay rise for the unions, announced by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa,
Highly placed sources privy to the soon-to-be convened meeting confirmed the development to our correspondent in Abuja.
“The government has written to the leadership of the unions and invited us to a meeting on Wednesday.
We will be there to hear what they have to say, but the truth is that our ultimatum still stands,” one of the sources told the newsmen .
Another source who confirmed the meeting said, “It is true, we have been invited to a meeting on April 29, which is Wednesday, and we will be there.”
Recall that Alausa, in a letter addressed to the National Universities Commission, National Commission for Colleges of Education and National Board for Technical Education, announced a 30 per cent pay rise in salaries of non-academics in Federal Government-controlled universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The Joint Action Committee of SSANU and the NASU demanded that the government withdraw the controversial letter allegedly approving the 30 per cent salary increase or risk a nationwide shutdown of public universities.
In a strongly worded letter signed by Peters A. Adeyemi, the Secretary General of the JAC and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, President, on behalf of the unions, the workers described the development as shocking and unacceptable.
The letter, which was addressed to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, read: “We write with utmost respect to draw your urgent attention to the letter being circulated on social media, purportedly signed by you.
“We have not reached any conclusion warranting the award, which is alien to the tradition of collective bargaining.”
The unions stressed that the purported increment did not emanate from ongoing negotiations and warned that any attempt to enforce it would violate established labour processes.
They further insisted that they would not accept any unilateral decision outside the negotiation table.
“We are not part of it, and the two unions are not ready to take anything less than what may be agreed upon collectively with the negotiation committee,” it added.
Negotiations between the Federal Government and university-based unions are currently being handled by a committee chaired by Dr Yayale Ahmed, but the unions insisted “discussions are still ongoing with no agreement reached.”
The JAC also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the circulating document to prevent further confusion within the university system.
“We hereby call on the honourable minister to withdraw the letter in circulation,” the unions declared.
Their agitation followed the recent increase in salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities by 40 per cent.
