ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Federal Government has invited the leadership of the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions to a reconciliatory meeting scheduled for today (Monday), as part of efforts to persuade the unions to suspend their ongoing strike.
A source revealed this in Abuja on Sunday.
“The Federal Government has called on the leadership of the unions to attend a meeting. It’s with the minister of education, and we hope that they present a reasonable offer this time around,” the source said.
The unions had earlier embarked on a nationwide strike on Friday, May 1, 2026.
Their decision was communicated in a letter dated April 30, 2026, addressed to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, citing the Federal Government’s failure to conclude ongoing renegotiations and present a new offer on allowances.
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The letter, signed by NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, and SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, indicated that the strike would commence at midnight on May 1, 2026.
“We write to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence and to equally appreciate the Honourable Minister of Education for withdrawing the contentious letter,” the union leaders said, referring to the earlier circular proposing a 30 per cent increase in the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance.
“Despite this, they noted that 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,” they said.
The unions further stated that no alternative proposal had been presented to replace the withdrawn allowance.
“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Tools Allowance is acknowledged, no new offer has been made to supersede the 30 per cent allowances contained in the withdrawn letter,” they stated.
According to the JAC, members had instructed the leadership to take action if the government failed to conclude negotiations by April 30.
“In view of this, with the agreement not concluded as of 30th April 2026, and with no new offer, the strike action shall commence by 12am of 1st May 2026,” the letter read.
The unions maintained that the industrial action became unavoidable due to what they described as the government’s failure to resolve the dispute through meaningful engagement.
“We hereby inform the Federal Government… that as a result of the failure of the government to apprehend the strike by positively acceding to our demands, all members… will commence total and comprehensive strike action by Friday, 1st of May, 2026,” Adeyemi and Ibrahim added.
The strike is expected to disrupt administrative and support services across federal tertiary institutions, sparking fresh concerns over recurring interruptions in Nigeria’s university system, which has long been plagued by industrial disputes.