SSANU: No Deal on 30% Salary Increase
A 30 per cent salary increase has been approved for non-academic staff of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, according to a government directive that has already triggered pushback from one of the major unions representing the affected workers.
The approval, conveyed in a letter dated March 30, 2026, and signed by Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa, applies to the consolidated salary structures of non-teaching personnel across the tertiary education sector. The minister described the move as a Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance designed to “enhance the welfare, motivation, and productivity” of staff who perform critical administrative and technical functions.
“I write to convey the approval of His Excellency… for a thirty per cent (30%) increase in the consolidated salary structures of non-academic staff of federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education,” Alausa stated in the letter addressed to the Executive Secretaries of the National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education, and National Commission for Colleges of Education.
The directive follows an earlier 40 per cent pay rise granted to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. Government officials have framed the latest adjustment as evidence of a broader commitment to “the quality, stability and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.”
However, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has publicly rejected the notion that any final agreement has been reached. In a communiqué issued at the conclusion of a special National Executive Council meeting held at the union’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Saturday, SSANU leaders insisted that negotiations with the Federal Government remain ongoing and have not been concluded.
The communiqué, signed by National President Muhammad Ibrahim, expressed concern over what it termed misleading reports suggesting that the renegotiation process had been finalised. It specifically referenced the circulation of the 30 per cent approval letter, maintaining that “no binding agreement has been signed.”
NEC stated: “SSANU will not accept any outcome that falls below the negotiated understanding reached in the course of the renegotiation process, and insists that fairness, due process, and collective bargaining principles must be respected.”
The union, acting under the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU, reaffirmed an ultimatum previously issued to the Federal Government. The deadline runs from April 1 to April 30, 2026, for the conclusion of negotiations and the signing of agreements. Failure to meet the timeline, the communiqué warned, would leave the unions with “no alternative but to, along with NASU, commence an indefinite, comprehensive, and total industrial action.”
The council urged members nationwide to remain “calm, vigilant, united, and prepared to fully comply with the decisions of the Union in defence of their welfare, dignity, and collective interest.”
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Colleges of Education has begun internal steps toward implementation. A memo issued on behalf of Executive Secretary Dr Angela Ajala directed provosts of federal colleges of education and their bursars to “take note of the development and align with the new salary structure.” The commission indicated that the minister’s approval letter had been attached to guide execution.
Both SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union have staged multiple strikes in recent years over what they describe as unequal treatment compared to academic staff and unresolved grievances regarding earned allowances and institutional funding. Past industrial actions have disrupted administrative operations, examination processing, and student services across numerous campuses.