Nigeria’s college disaster escalated on Monday as non-academic employees unions intensified their nationwide strike, with protests breaking out on the College of Jos and renewed agitation on the College of Ilorin, underscoring mounting frustration over welfare considerations and delayed negotiations.
UNIJOS Protest Alerts Shift from Strike to Open Agitation
Members of the Non-Tutorial Employees Union (NASU) and the Senior Employees Affiliation of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) staged a protest at UNIJOS, marking a big escalation from mere compliance with the continued strike.
The employees, drawn from a number of departments, voiced anger over poor welfare circumstances and the extended delay in renegotiating the 2009 settlement with the Federal Authorities.
Union insiders mentioned the demonstration displays deepening impatience amongst non-teaching employees, lots of whom consider their position in sustaining college operations has been constantly ignored.
The protest alerts a turning level, remodeling the strike from passive withdrawal of providers into seen, organised resistance, with the potential for additional escalation if calls for stay unmet.
UNILORIN Chairman: “We Had been Pushed to the Wall”
At UNILORIN, SSANU Chairman Prof. Falowo Olushola addressed members throughout a congress held alongside demonstrations, pointing to the Federal Authorities’s inaction because the set off for the strike.
“At this time’s congress is mainly on the renegotiation of the 2009 settlement… it has been the most important situation, particularly among the many non-teaching employees in Nigerian universities.”
He confused that the unions had exercised restraint through the years: “We’ve got been very affected person and patriotic. Non-teaching employees don’t like to go on strike except pushed to the wall.”
In line with him, SSANU issued a Could 1 ultimatum after its March 2026 Nationwide Govt Council assembly, anticipating a concrete response from the federal government.
“We anticipated the federal government to behave earlier than the expiration of that ultimatum, however… nothing was carried out. At this time is Could 4, and they’re nonetheless calling for conferences to reconcile.”
From Ultimatum to Nationwide Stress
The actions at UNIJOS and UNILORIN mirror a broader nationwide shutdown. Each NASU and SSANU implement a complete, indefinite strike throughout public universities and inter-university centres.
What started as an ultimatum has now advanced right into a coordinated stress marketing campaign involving:
- Withdrawal of administrative and technical providers.
- Campus-level protests.
- Renewed requires fast authorities motion.
On the centre of the dispute is the 2009 settlement, which unions say stays largely unimplemented. Notably in areas affecting employees welfare, allowances, and dealing circumstances.
System Pressure Deepens as College students Face Uncertainty
With non-academic employees downing instruments, important college operations, starting from administration to scholar providers are more and more paralysed.
The developments at UNIJOS and UNILORIN not solely spotlight the human dimension of the strike but in addition mirror a deeper, systemic problem inside Nigeria’s greater schooling sector.
As tensions rise and negotiations stay inconclusive, the probability of a protracted disruption looms. Thus, as soon as once more inserting college students on the centre of a disaster not of their making.