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University employees across Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to address discrepancies in the payment of outstanding salaries and allowances, saying the recent disbursement has failed to settle all their entitlements.
The complaints followed the release of funds under the 2026 agreement between the government and university-based unions. While some institutions confirmed receiving payments, workers in several others reported receiving less than expected, with some yet to receive any payment notifications.
At the Federal University of Lafia, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Daniel Dajen, said members had received payments equivalent to six months instead of the eight months reportedly covered by the government’s release. He urged the authorities to review the disbursement process and ensure that the outstanding balance was paid.
Similar concerns were raised at the University of Ilorin, where the SSANU branch chairman, Falowo Naheem, said some allowances under the agreement remained unpaid. He also expressed concern over the exclusion of eligible employees working in university health centres, including doctors, nurses and laboratory personnel, from the payment arrangement.
At the University of Benin, the union’s chairman, Julius Idu, disclosed that members had received eight months of arrears but were still expecting another month, alongside outstanding payments for excess workload, hazard and responsibility allowances. The SSANU chairman at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Linus Akata, also confirmed the payment of eight months’ arrears to eligible members.
Meanwhile, the situation varied across other institutions. Workers at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, in Abia State, received nine months of arrears, according to the NASU chapter chairman, Okechukwu Ndukwe. At Bayero University, Kano, SSANU chairman Mustapha Aminu said about 80 per cent of the outstanding salary and allowance arrears had been paid, with arrangements expected to address the remaining balance.
Uncertainty also persisted in Jigawa State, where some non-teaching employees at federal and state-owned universities said they had neither received payment alerts nor obtained official explanations about when their arrears would be settled. At the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, some excess workload allowances also remained outstanding after partial payments.
Beyond the payment shortfalls, union leaders are demanding greater transparency in the handling of the funds. At the Federal University Otuoke in Bayelsa State, ASUU branch chairman Professor Bruno Ikuli called on the university management to disclose the amount received for arrears and explain how the money was distributed among staff. Workers have urged the relevant authorities to settle all outstanding obligations, clarify eligibility requirements and ensure that the 2026 agreement is fully implemented.
