ILORIN, KWARA STATE– Academic and administrative activities at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) concerned a complete dead stop on Monday, May 4, 2026. Members of the Senior Personnel Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) implemented an overall withdrawal of services, marking the beginning of a nationwide indefinite strike.
Opposing at the university’s main gate, union members showed placards with blunt messages, consisting of “Pay kept wages now” and “45% increment is our need, not 30%,” as they turned back cars and enforced compliance.
Read Also: UNIJOS unions join across the country strike with tranquil demonstration at senate building.
The Breaking Point: The 2009 Agreement
The root of the commercial action depends on the drawn-out failure of the Federal government to conclude the renegotiation and application of the 2009 arrangement.
According to the Chairman of SSANU, UNILORIN chapter, Prof. Falowo Olushola, the unions have exhausted all opportunities of perseverance and patriotism.
“We have always said non-teaching personnel do not like to go on strike unless pushed to the wall,” Prof. Olushola stated. “In March 2026, we provided the Federal Government a final notice of May 1, 2026. To the surprise of well-meaning Nigerians, absolutely nothing was done.”
Main Demands:
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45% Income Increment: Straight-out rejection of the 30% proposed by the federal government.
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Renegotiation Conclusion: Finalising the non-teaching part of the 2009 arrangement, a procedure continuous given that 2017.
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Equality with Academics: Making sure non-teaching staff receive the same advantages and salary modifications just recently granted to scholastic staff.
Union leaders emphasised that this is a”comprehensive and indefinite” action, distinguishing it from previous caution strikes. Suberu Ibrahim, Chairman of NASU UNILORIN, kept in mind that the variation in treatment between academic and non-academic staff has reached a critical level.
“Simply this January, teaching staff were offered about 40% increase in their allowances and wages, leaving non-teaching staff out,” Ibrahim decried.
“The university system stands on 3 pillars: expert, academic, and administrative. Why should one segment be sidelined?”
The Arrears Stockpile:
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2022 Arrears: 2 months of income stockpiles are still pending from 2022.
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Yearly Financial Obligations: One full year of impressive arrears yet to be settled.
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Reliable Date: Need for all increments to take effect from January 2026.
The withdrawal of services by non-teaching personnel has actually hit the university’s logistics and facilities hardest.
With motorists, security personnel, ICT personnel, and bursary officials far from their posts, the school has become largely inefficient.
Despite having children enrolled in these very same organizations, the union chairmen firmly insisted that the strike is an essential “destiny-shaping” relocation.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of both unions had formally begun the strike at midnight on Might 1, following the expiration of the April 30 warning.
With the unions promising not to return until a contract is signed and implemented, the 2026/2027 academic calendar faces its first major hurdle.
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