SSANU Urges FG to Resume 2009 Agreement Renegotiation

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has called on the Federal Government to restart negotiations concerning the 2009 FG/SSANU agreement.

In a statement released following its 52nd National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education in Owerri, SSANU expressed its dissatisfaction with the ongoing silence and inaction from the Federal Government’s Renegotiation Committee regarding the 2009 FG/SSANU Agreement.

It is worth noting that the Joint Action Committee (JAC) representing both SSANU and NASU had given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to resume negotiations or face the prospect of industrial unrest.

The union also lamented the continued withholding of salaries for SSANU members involved in the 2022 industrial action. The communique, signed by National President Mohammed Ibrahim, urged the federal government to promptly release the two months of withheld salaries as a sign of good faith and a commitment to restoring peace within the university system.

The NEC also pointed out that third-party deductions from the two months of already disbursed withheld salaries have yet to be processed, thus calling for the immediate release of those funds.

NEC expressed serious concerns regarding the federal government’s ongoing disregard for memoranda of understanding (MoUs), memoranda of action (MoAs), and other collective bargaining agreements that have been properly negotiated with SSANU.

The union emphasized that these agreements, which were reached through structured dialogue and mutual agreement, are legally binding and must be fully honored, warning that if such neglect persists, it will have no choice but to pursue all lawful methods to ensure compliance.

Once again, SSANU the alleged unfair and minimal allocation of the N50 billion earned allowance, where only 20 per cent, amounting to N10 billion, was distributed to the three non-teaching unions – SSANU, NASU, and NAAT – instead of the N50 billion agreed upon in the MoU/MoA before the 2022 industrial action was suspended.

It stated that the allocation was unfair and discriminatory and did not recognize the crucial role that non-teaching staff play in the effective operation of Nigerian universities.

Moreover, it noted that the distribution violated the MoU/MoA agreed upon with the JAC of NASU and SSANU in August 2022. Consequently, the NEC demanded an immediate release of the remaining N40 billion earned allowance to ensure fairness, equity, and inclusivity across all non-teaching staff unions in universities and inter-university centers, in alignment with the agreements signed with the unions.

SSANU criticized the dire state of the education sector, asserting that both primary and tertiary levels suffer from insufficient funding and outdated facilities. The meeting called for the modernization of learning environments, greater support for technical and vocational training, and equitable development for both teaching and non-teaching staff through fair compensation and ongoing professional growth.

While acknowledging the federal government’s efforts in slowing the establishment of new public universities, NEC insisted that the government must take urgent action to meet and apply global best practices in education through adequate funding.

It stressed that in order to enhance Nigeria’s universities for excellence and long-term sustainability, the federal and state governments should grant full autonomy to university governing councils to diminish political interference and enable decisions that best serve the interests of both staff and students in the universities.