Court restrains Kaduna university unions from strike

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has restrained three workers’ unions at Kaduna State University (KASU) from embarking on a strike or taking any form of industrial action pending the determination of a suit instituted by the university’s management.

The order, issued by Justice E. D. Subilim of the court’s Abuja Judicial Division on November 5, specifically restrained the unions, their officers, agents and other persons acting on their behalf from declaring, commencing, directing, instigating, encouraging or participating in any strike or industrial action.

The affected unions are the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), all operating at the Kaduna State University.

The court also directed the unions to cease giving effect to any strike action pending the hearing and determination of a Motion on Notice before it.

The suit, marked NICN/ABJ/329/2026, was instituted by Kaduna State University, its governing council and the vice-chancellor against the three unions and some of their officials.

Those listed as defendants include NASU branch chairman, Comrade Nina Ochigbo; its secretary, Comrade Dahiru Musa; SSANU chairman, Comrade Sadiya Mustapha; and its secretary, Comrade Nicholas Allen.

The court directed the university’s management to ensure that the originating summons, Motion on Notice, supporting affidavits and a copy of the enrolled order were served on the defendants without delay.

It adjourned the hearing of the Motion on Notice to 18 November

The order was issued under the seal of the court in Abuja on 6 November and signed by Vallari Aaron Masomene, Senior Registrar II.

The court intervention followed a fresh threat of industrial action by the three unions operating under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) at KASU.

At a congress held on 2 November, the unions issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government and the university management, demanding the implementation of outstanding agreements and the settlement of workers’ welfare concerns.

In their statement, the unions demanded the immediate implementation of the 2026 Consolidated Non-Teaching Tool Allowance Agreement (CONTTA), payment of approved wage awards and provision of group life insurance for staff.

They also demanded the payment of the federal government-approved N70,000 monthly transport support for workers for six months and called for respect for the university’s autonomy.

The unions warned that failure to address the demands within the stipulated period could compel them to embark on a warning strike.

They described their action as a demand for fairness, equity, justice, institutional autonomy and respect for agreements reached with workers.

Although they expressed willingness to pursue constructive engagement, they maintained that industrial harmony could not be sustained where negotiated agreements and staff welfare concerns remained unresolved.

The latest ultimatum followed months of agitation by the non-teaching unions over what they described as outstanding financial and welfare obligations to their members.

In a communiqué issued in September, the Joint Action Committee called on the Kaduna State Government to implement outstanding agreements and settle accumulated entitlements.

Among their demands were payment of earned allowances, promotion arrears, pension arrears and outstanding wage awards, as well as the implementation of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary adjustments.

The unions also raised concerns over excess workload allowances, group life insurance and other conditions of service.

They argued that consistently implementing agreements reached with university-based unions was necessary to protect workers’ welfare, build confidence and sustain industrial peace at the institution.

The September demands came amid a wider labour dispute at KASU, which also involved the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), whose members had threatened industrial action over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

In a move to address the growing tensions at the university, Governor Uba Sani, in August, approved the constitution of a nine-member negotiation committee to review the demands of ASUU, SSANU, NASU and NAAT.

The committee, chaired by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo, has four weeks to examine the unions’ grievances and recommend practical, financially sustainable solutions.

The government said the committee would review outstanding allowances, the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), and the financial implications of implementing the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

The intervention was accompanied by the approval of a one-off ₦300 million payment as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) for academic staff.

According to the Secretary to the State Government, AbdulKadir Meyere, the payment was part of efforts to address a backlog of more than N800 million in accumulated entitlements and allowances dating back to 2016.

The government also cited the settlement of outstanding withheld salaries, the release of more than ₦300 million for programme accreditation and postgraduate resource verification, and a N50 million monthly standing order for the systematic settlement of outstanding arrears as part of its interventions.

It urged the unions to embrace dialogue, negotiation and collective bargaining rather than resorting to industrial action that could disrupt the university’s academic calendar.

The government subsequently announced a major intervention in the dispute involving academic staff.

On 12 September, the Commissioner for Education announced that Governor Sani had approved the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU salary agreement for KASU academic staff, effective October 2026.

The approval followed the government’s negotiation committee recommendations. It covered the revised Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and other applicable salary adjustments and allowances.

However, the approval applied only to academic staff and did not, by itself, resolve the separate welfare demands of the non-teaching unions.

The distinction matters because SSANU, NASU and NAAT later renewed their demands, particularly over the non-teaching tool allowance, wage awards, transport support and other outstanding entitlements.

With the latest court order, the three unions are barred from embarking on industrial action pending further proceedings.

The 18 November hearing will determine the next steps in the court proceedings and the application filed by the university management.

The development raises fresh questions about resolving the outstanding welfare issues and the prospects of industrial harmony at the state-owned university.

While the Kaduna State Government has previously initiated negotiations and approved financial interventions to address some workers’ grievances, the latest ultimatum suggests significant disagreements remain, particularly over non-teaching staff demands.