Varsity Workers Threaten To Picket AGF Office Over Delayed Salaries

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to picket the Office of the Accountant- General of the Federation (OAGF) over the delay in the payment of February 2026 salaries.

The union said the situation had subjected its members to severe financial strain, warning that continued delay could disrupt industrial harmony in the university system.

In a statement issued by its national president, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim yesterday, SSANU said the prolonged delay in salary payments has deepened hardship among workers and undermined morale within the institutions.

The union noted that university staff who sustain the country’s higher education system deserve prompt remuneration for their services.

SSANU attributed the problem partly to what it described as an inconsistent approach in the payment platform used for university workers’ salaries.

According to the union, the government’s decision to move between the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) and the Remita platform in recent months had created operational challenges affecting salary payments.

The association also raised concerns about the slow pace of the ongoing renegotiation between the Federal Government and non-teaching university unions, including SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU).

It further criticised recent public remarks attributed to the minister of education, suggesting that industrial harmony had been fully achieved in the university system, insisting that such claims do not reflect the realities of the ongoing negotiations.

SSANU warned that failure to urgently address the concerns raised could lead to stronger union action, including industrial measures.

The statement reads in part, “The leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities wishes to bring to the attention of the public the growing hardship being experienced by staff of federal universities across the country due to the delay in payment of their February 2026 salaries.

This unfortunate situation has created significant financial strain for our members and their families. Beyond the personal hardship it imposes, the delay in salary payment is steadily eroding confidence in the system, lowering staff morale, and inevitably affecting productivity and overall institutional performance within our universities.”

“SSANU therefore calls on the federal government to ensure the immediate payment of the outstanding February 2026 salaries of federal university staff, especially as many of our members are observing the Ramadan fast or the Lenten fast.

Anything short of the above will clearly invite our unions to seek redress in every legal means possible, including but not limited to withdrawal of our services and picketing of government offices concerned.”