University workers across the country have reported different experiences following the Federal Government’s reported release of arrears under its 2026 agreement with university unions, with some confirming payment while others complain of shortfalls, unpaid allowances and uncertainty over outstanding entitlements.
Findings by Sunday PUNCH across universities in the country showed that while some institutions had paid the arrears, workers in others were still awaiting full settlement, clarification of payment calculations or confirmation of the staff categories covered.
The Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities at the Federal University of Lafia, Daniel Dajen, told Sunday PUNCH that members had received the equivalent of six months’ arrears.
He said members were still owed two months’ arrears.
“The Federal Government said they have paid us for eight months, but unfortunately, what they released cannot actually cater for the number of months they have paid. So far, we have got just six months,” he said.
Dajen alleged that the funds were distributed without adequate consultation with universities to determine the amounts required to settle the arrears of eligible workers.
“We are pleading that the government should do the needful,” he added.
At the University of Ilorin, the SSANU branch chairman, Falowo Naheem, said the eight months’ arrears covered the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTTA) component of the agreement.
He said members were particularly concerned about the outstanding allowances because they related to services already rendered.
“While we appreciate the release of these arrears, it is important to emphasise that the allowance component of the agreement remains unpaid,” Falowo said.
He also faulted the exclusion of eligible SSANU members working in university health centres, including doctors, nurses, health records officers, laboratory technologists and other eligible personnel.
Falowo urged the Federal Government to provide the necessary funding to implement the agreement fully and ensure that no eligible category of staff was excluded.
He listed other outstanding issues as withheld salaries, earned allowances, applicable salary increments and promotion arrears.
However, at the University of Benin, the SSANU branch chairman, Julius Idu, said members had received eight months’ arrears, although they expected nine months because the agreement took effect in January 2026.
He said one month’s arrears and other entitlements, including excess workload, hazard and responsibility allowances, remained outstanding.
Idu urged the government to settle the outstanding entitlements and ensure full implementation of the agreement.
Similarly, the SSANU chairman at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr Linus Akata, confirmed in a text message that members on the institution’s payroll had received eight months’ CONTTA arrears.
In Gombe State, the Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions at the Federal University of Kashere, Abdullahi Sani, confirmed that the arrears owed to members had been paid.
Efforts to reach the SSANU chairman at the institution, Musa Adamu, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
At the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, the NASU chapter chairman, Okechukwu Ndukwe, said members had received nine months’ arrears.
“We have received the arrears. We were paid nine months,” he said.
Although he welcomed the payment, Ndukwe said inflation had eroded the value of the money while workers waited for their outstanding entitlements to be settled.
At the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, the SSANU chairman, Dr Franklin Duru, told Sunday PUNCH that the university management began implementing the agreement in July with funds sourced independently, before the Federal Government released money in October.
He said members had received arrears covering January to June, while part of the excess workload allowances remained outstanding.
According to Duru, the university paid three months of excess workload allowance arrears, with the balance awaiting computation and payment.
At the Bayero University, Kano, the SSANU chairman, Mustapha Aminu, said the management had paid 80 per cent of the outstanding salary and allowance arrears owed to non-teaching staff.
He said the university planned to establish a committee comprising union and management representatives to ensure that the remaining payments reached eligible beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, checks by Sunday PUNCH at Kano State-owned universities, including Northwest University, Kano, and the Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, showed that the state government had paid outstanding allowances to non-teaching staff.
At the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, the status of the payments remained unclear, as the institution’s management and relevant officials had not provided an update despite repeated inquiries by our correspondent.
Jigawa workers await clarification
In Jigawa State, non-teaching staff at several universities said they had yet to receive payment alerts or official circulars explaining the status of their arrears.
Checks at the Federal University, Dutse; Sule Lamido University, Kafin-Hausa; the Federal University of Technology, Babura; and the Jigawa State University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences, Majia, revealed uncertainty among some workers over the implementation of the agreement.
At the Federal University Dutse, a non-teaching staff member, Yusuf Abdullahi, said he had not received any payment.
“Up till now, I have not received any alert. We are hearing it in the news, but nothing has entered our account,” he said.
A worker at the Federal University of Technology, Babura, Fatima Sule, also said she was still waiting for payment.
At Sule Lamido University, the Public Relations Officer, Sadiq Lawal, said payment of the outstanding arrears remained the responsibility of the Jigawa State Government.
He said the government had promised to implement the arrears for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, SSANU and NASU, but the university was still awaiting action.
The situation has left workers at state-owned institutions uncertain about whether they are covered by the reported Federal Government release or must depend on separate funding by their state governments.
Unions seek transparency
Concerns over the payment process have also emerged at institutions where workers confirmed receiving money.
At the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, the ASUU branch chairman, Professor Bruno Ikuli, called on the university management to disclose the total funds received for the payment of salary arrears and provide a breakdown of how the money was distributed.
He said some lecturers received payments but were unsure whether the amounts reflected their entitlements.
Ikuli stressed that the union was not disputing that payments had been made but wanted the management to account for the funds and explain the basis for their distribution.
“The union wants to know how much came into the university for the payment of the salary arrears and how the money was disbursed to members,” he said.
At the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, the SSANU chairman, Sulisma Jatau, said members had received the Federal Government-approved salary increments, although some non-financial aspects of the agreement remained outstanding.
He estimated that implementation of the financial component of the agreement was between 85 and 90 per cent complete, while the non-financial component stood at between 70 and 80 per cent.
The Public Relations Officer of Sa’adu Zungur University, Auwal Hassan, also confirmed that the institution’s staff received payment in September.