Federal universities and inter-university centres across Nigeria are set for widespread disruption as non-academic staff unions begin a nationwide strike on Friday.
The industrial action was announced by the Joint Action Committee of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), following stalled negotiations with the Federal Government.
In a letter dated April 30, 2026, and addressed to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, the unions confirmed that the strike would commence at midnight on May 1, 2026.
The letter was jointly signed by NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi and SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim.
The unions said the action became necessary after the Federal Government failed to conclude ongoing renegotiations and failed to present a new offer on allowances.
They noted that although the government had withdrawn an earlier circular proposing a 30 per cent increase in the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance, the move did not address the core issues in dispute.
“Despite this, the withdrawal did not resolve the core issues in dispute.
“The consensus outcome of the consultation is that our demand vis-à-vis the slow pace of the renegotiation process has not been met,” the unions stated.
They further complained that no fresh proposal had been introduced to replace the withdrawn allowance structure.
“While the letter on the withdrawal of the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance is acknowledged, no new offer has been made to supersede the 30 per cent allowances contained in the withdrawn letter,” they added.
According to the Joint Action Committee, members had already mandated their leadership to proceed with strike action if negotiations were not concluded by April 30.
“In view of this, with the agreement not concluded as at 30th April 2026, and with no new offer, the strike action shall commence by 12am on May 1, 2026,” the statement read.
The unions said the decision followed what they described as repeated failure by the government to resolve the dispute through meaningful engagement, making industrial action unavoidable.
