The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has petitioned the Accountant General of the Federation regarding a concerning trend of delays in the payment of its members’ monthly salaries.
It will be recalled that SSANU began experiencing these delays following the migration of staff data to the Government Integrated Financial and Management Information System, GIFMIS platform.
In its petition, SSANU called for urgent intervention to forestall a breakdown of industrial harmony within the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The letter, dated 7 May 2025 and signed by the President of SSANU, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, was titled, “Concern Over the Consistent Delay in the Payment of Monthly Salaries of University Workers.” In it, the union expressed deep displeasure over the persistent salary delays that have plagued university-based unions since they departed from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS.
Ibrahim noted that the ongoing delays constitute a breach of the 2022 agreement reached between the Joint Action Committee, JAC, of SSANU/NASU and the Federal Government—an agreement which led to the suspension of a protracted strike at the time.
The letter, which was copied to the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi; and the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, reiterated that the 2022 agreement included a commitment that no union member involved in the strike would face any form of victimisation.
An excerpt from the letter reads: “The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) writes to express our deep concern over the consistent delay in the payment of monthly salaries of university workers, particularly since our exit from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
“It is regrettable that, since our departure from IPPIS, our members’ salaries are regularly paid two weeks after salaries have been disbursed to other federal employees.
“This pattern, which has persisted, has caused significant anxiety and resentment among our members. We view this delay not merely as an administrative failure but as a blatant act of discrimination against our union.
“We wish to remind your esteemed office that a core provision of the 2022 agreement between the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU/NASU and the Federal Government—which led to the suspension of our industrial action—was a guarantee that no member of the unions involved would suffer any form of victimisation.
“This recurring delay in salary payments clearly violates that agreement and appears to be a punitive response to our union’s legitimate decisions and actions.
“Such treatment is unacceptable and poses a serious threat to the fragile industrial peace currently prevailing in the university system. SSANU will not stand idly by while our members are subjected to such discriminatory practices, which compromise both morale and welfare.
“We, therefore, call on your office to urgently investigate and resolve this issue by ensuring that university workers receive their salaries in accordance with the general federal payment schedule. Any further delays will be construed as deliberate and may necessitate appropriate action by the union to safeguard the rights and dignity of its members.
“We trust in your timely and equitable intervention to avert a breakdown of industrial harmony within our tertiary institutions.”
