Academic activities at the University of Ilorin were disrupted on Monday as non-teaching staff unions enforced an ongoing nationwide indefinite strike.
Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) staged a peaceful protest at the institution’s main gate, effectively shutting down essential services across the campus.
The workers are demanding a 45 per cent salary increase and full implementation of the 2009 agreement with the Federal Government, rejecting an earlier 30 per cent offer.
Chairman of SSANU at UNILORIN, Falowo Olushola, said the government’s proposal was unacceptable.
“Basically today, our demand is the conclusion, signing and implementation of the 2009 agreement. We reject the 30 per cent that was proposed to us outrightly.
” All staff in federal universities have rejected it. Our demand is 45 per cent and that is final,” he stated.
He added that the unions had issued several ultimatums without meaningful response before commencing the strike.
“In March 2026, we gave the Federal Government an ultimatum of May 1, but nothing was done before it expired.
”Today is May 4, and they are still calling for meetings. We need a government that will prioritise the survival of education,” Olushola said.
He stressed that the industrial action is total and indefinite, noting that non-teaching staff are essential to university operations.
“Our members work round-the-clock. We handle security, ICT, finance, transport, and other services that keep the university running,” he added.
Also speaking, NASU Chairman at UNILORIN, Suberu Haruna Ibrahim, traced the dispute to the stalled renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, which began in 2017.
“This renegotiation has been on since 2017, yet the government has not concluded the non-teaching staff component. We cannot continue like this,” he said.
He also pointed out disparities in recent salary adjustments, noting that teaching staff had received about a 40 per cent increase earlier in the year, while non-teaching staff were excluded.
“Just this January, teaching staff were given about 40 per cent increase, while non-teaching staff were left out.
”We are demanding that the same be extended to us and backdated accordingly,” Ibrahim stated.
Describing the action as comprehensive, he said all non-academic staff nationwide had withdrawn their services after previous warnings yielded no results.
“It is a comprehensive, indefinite strike, not a warning. We have issued warnings over the past two months and nothing was done.
”Now, we have taken our destiny into our hands,” he added.
Ibrahim also raised concerns over unpaid arrears, including over one year of outstanding salaries from 2022, insisting that all issues must be addressed.
The impact of the strike was already evident across the campus, with services halted and students left to cope with disruptions, including the absence of transportation and other support systems.
“You can see students trekking because transport services are no longer available.
”Our members are responsible for driving and other essential services. They should feel the impact so that the government can act quickly,” he said.
