The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has expressed dissatisfaction and outright rejection of the federal government’s distribution formula for the recently approved N50 billion allocation to university-based unions.
In a joint press statement signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi, general secretary of NASU, and Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, national president of SSANU, the unions described the allocation as grossly unfair, provocative and totally unacceptable.
According to the statement, 80 percent of the disbursed funds have been allocated to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leaving the remaining 20 percent to be shared among SSANU, NASU and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The unions disagreed with this arrangement as being lopsided and discriminatory, warning that it could trigger widespread industrial unrest.
SSANU and NASU emphasised that non-teaching staff are critical to the functionality, administrative efficiency, and overall development of Nigerian universities and should not be treated as second-class stakeholders in the system.
The unions stressed that their demand was not about rivalry with ASUU but about fairness, equity, and recognition of the indispensable roles played by non-academic staff in sustaining the university system.
They urged the federal government to urgently review and reverse the disbursement formula, warning that failing to do so could lead to avoidable disruptions across campuses nationwide.
The statement reads in part: “The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) expresses its deep displeasure, outrage, and firm rejection of the recent distribution formula adopted for the disbursement of the N50 billion Naira approved by the Federal Government for university-based unions.
We have received, with utter disappointment, the information that 80 percent of the sum has been allocated solely to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), while the remaining 20 percent is expected to be shared among SSANU, NASU and NAAT.
“This latest attempt to diminish our role and worth through this inequitable distribution is an injustice that we will not accept in silence.
We wish to make it clear that this is not a contest of supremacy among unions. Rather, it is about fairness, recognition, and the equitable treatment of all workers who form the backbone of the Nigerian university system.
“A harmonious and productive academic environment can only be achieved when all stakeholders are treated with respect, dignity, equity, and fairness.
We will not fold our arms while our rights are trampled and our members are treated with disdain,” the unions declared.
