By Comrade Otu, Obono Akpan
The escalating challenges faced by workers within Nigeria’s university system can no longer be dismissed as mere administrative inefficiencies. What should ordinarily be a straightforward implementation of approved policies has become a prolonged struggle for workers whose salaries and legitimate entitlements are increasingly strained by the prevailing economic realities.
The persistent delays in the payment of arrears of the 25%/35% salary increase approved in 2023, alongside the CONTTA allowances sanctioned in 2026, raise significant concerns about government priorities, accountability and the value placed on the workforce that sustains the university system. It appears that a new administrative principle is emerging: an entitlement gains value only when workers are compelled to wait indefinitely for it. Regrettably, however, bills, school fees, medical expenses and family obligations do not subscribe to this philosophy of patience.
The Federal Government’s failure or reluctance to ensure timely funding has largely shifted the burden to University Councils and Managements. In this regard, commendation is warranted for Vice-Chancellors who have demonstrated sensitivity to the economic realities confronting their workforce by taking responsible measures to provide relief pending reimbursement from the Federal Government.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Otuoke in Bayelsa State is one such example. The institution reportedly facilitated the payment of 12 months of the 25%/35% salary increase and implemented CONTTA, including its arrears, through internally generated revenue. Similar initiatives have reportedly been undertaken by other universities, particularly in the northern part of the country.
These interventions demonstrate that where there is institutional will, compassion and a genuine commitment to staff welfare, solutions can sometimes be found even in difficult circumstances. However, such examples should not become an excuse for the Federal Government to abdicate its responsibilities.
The situation becomes even more alarming when one considers the experiences of federal university workers who have had to resort to industrial action merely to secure partial implementation of already approved entitlements. At my university, the branch leadership had to obtain clearance for a three-day protest before only three months of the outstanding 12-month arrears of the 25%/35% salary increase were released.
This situation should compel all stakeholders to reflect critically on the state of workers’ welfare. When individuals who have dedicated their professional lives to education begin to struggle to afford basic healthcare, medication and other essential needs, the consequences extend beyond industrial relations. They become matters of human welfare and institutional sustainability.
The increasing reports of deaths, financial distress, anxiety and emotional strain among university workers should not be treated as mere statistics. Behind every figure is a colleague, a spouse, a parent, a child and, indeed, an entire family whose livelihood is affected.
There is also a pressing issue of equity and consistency that requires urgent clarification. If a directive can be issued regarding CATTA for academic staff, allowing Vice-Chancellors to utilise internally generated revenue pending reimbursement from the Federal Government, why should a similar pragmatic approach not be considered for CONTTA affecting non-teaching staff?
If government policy recognises the need to provide relief to one category of university workers, fairness demands that the concerns of the other category receive equal consideration. The university operates as an ecosystem. Lecturers, technologists, administrators, librarians, laboratory personnel, security officers, artisans and other categories of employees collectively sustain the institution. Education cannot thrive on the strength of one component while allowing another to deteriorate.
Our union leaders, who have engaged in months of negotiations, deserve recognition for their sacrifices, including the arduous journeys undertaken across the country in pursuit of improved working conditions. Their commitment should not be diminished.
However, this may be the time for ASUU, NASU, SSANU and NAATS to reassess the effectiveness of fragmented responses to issues that collectively affect university workers. If the government continues to respond to persistent appeals with assurances, committees, promises and the familiar refrain that “funds are being sourced,” then the unions must consider whether coordinated and constitutionally sanctioned collective industrial action has become necessary.
After all, if dialogue has become a revolving door through which workers enter with petitions and exit with promises, perhaps it is time to collectively ask where that door ultimately leads.
We appreciate the Minister of Education and the Federal Government for acknowledging the concerns surrounding the payment of non-teaching staff and for assurances that funds are being sourced. However, assurances, no matter how reassuring, cannot pay hospital bills, settle school fees, cover transportation costs or provide food for families.
Weeks have turned into months, while outstanding obligations remain unaddressed. The same concern applies to the 25%/35% salary increase reportedly captured in successive budgetary provisions but yet to be fully implemented for university workers. Budgetary provisions must ultimately translate into actual payments. Workers cannot be expected to survive indefinitely on the economic equivalent of government press releases.
It is therefore imperative for the Federal Government, University Councils, Vice-Chancellors, university managements and university-based unions to act promptly, transparently and decisively on staff welfare.
The university system must not become a place where bureaucratic procedures are perfected while human beings suffer. Nigeria’s aspiration to maintain its status as the “Giant of Africa” must be reflected not only in political rhetoric but also in how the nation treats the men and women who educate its future leaders and sustain its institutions.
The Federal Government must align its financial commitments with its promises. University managements should continue to explore lawful and sustainable measures to safeguard staff welfare. Governing Councils must exercise their oversight responsibilities with compassion and courage. Union leaders must protect the gains already negotiated and, where necessary, strengthen collective action.
Members of the university community must also remain united, disciplined and focused on the fundamental objective: establishing a university system where workers are treated with dignity, approved entitlements are honoured, and staff welfare is regarded as an institutional responsibility rather than an act of charity.
The time has come to awaken from this recurring nightmare of administrative bottlenecks, bureaucratic delays and endless promises. Workers are not asking for favours; they are demanding the implementation of agreements and entitlements that have already been approved.
Let every stakeholder remember: a university may boast magnificent buildings, sophisticated laboratories and impressive academic programmes, but without a motivated and adequately supported workforce, its foundation remains perilously fragile.
Comrade Otu, Obono Akpan
Secretary, NASU UNILAG
