‘Nigerian Universities to Shutdown Nationwide in 2026’: SSANU Warns FG

• University non-teaching staff have warned that failure to meet their outstanding demands and conclude renegotiations before December 31, 2025 will result in a total shutdown of Nigerian universities in 2026.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has warned the Federal Government that it will shut down universities nationwide in 2026 if negotiations and outstanding demands are not resolved by December 31, 2025.

The warning was issued in a communique released after SSANU’s 53rd National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Jos, and signed by its president, Muhammed Ibrahim.

The union said years of neglect, marginalisation and worsening conditions across campuses have pushed non-teaching staff to the breaking point. SSANU insisted it would no longer tolerate what it described as poor government commitment to staff welfare and university stability.

The association said its patience has been exhausted by government’s refusal to release the N50 billion captured in the 2022 MoU for Earned Allowances, along with the continued exclusion of Inter-University Centres and research institutes from previous payments. SSANU also condemned what it called the systemic marginalisation of non-teaching staff in government engagements.

It argued that the lack of a credible offer in ongoing renegotiations shows a deliberate pattern of neglect, warning that further delays will make industrial unrest inevitable.

The union also raised alarm over rising insecurity in educational institutions, noting that recent abductions in Niger and Kebbi States highlight the growing risks to students and workers. SSANU said campuses remain exposed due to weak lighting, broken perimeter fences, poor intelligence systems and under-resourced security units, and demanded immediate investment in surveillance technology, fortified perimeters and insurance coverage for all staff.

SSANU rejected the plan by the Federal Ministry of Education to introduce Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models for municipal services in universities. The union argued that PPP experiences in other sectors often lead to job losses, casualisation and degraded working conditions, insisting that no staff must be placed under inferior terms.

The communique also highlighted the decay in infrastructure across campuses, citing erratic electricity supply, dilapidated hostels, broken water systems and obsolete laboratories. It said the delayed release of funds and poor maintenance culture have crippled basic operations, and called for predictable, adequate and accountable funding to revive the system.

Economic hardship was another major concern, with the union stating that stagnant salaries, inflation, transport costs and rising prices have left many workers in distress. SSANU demanded an urgent wage review and stronger social protection measures.

In its warning, the communique stated:
“We have given the government enough time. If by December 31 our demands are not addressed in full and renegotiation is not concluded, the shutdown of universities in 2026 will be unavoidable. The responsibility will rest squarely on the government.”

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It added:
“Our members have endured years of injustice, exclusion and hardship. The marginalisation of non-teaching staff must end, and the government must honour its agreements without further excuses.”

SSANU said the system is failing:

“The decaying infrastructure, insecurity on campuses and the collapse of basic services show that the system is on life support. We cannot continue to work under these dangerous and humiliating conditions.”

The union concluded that while dialogue will continue, it will defend its members:
“SSANU will continue to pursue dialogue, but we will not hesitate to defend the rights and dignity of our members. Government must act now to prevent a total collapse of the university system.”