Poly workers threaten strike over unpaid arrears, housing loan delays

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) has raised concerns over unpaid salary arrears, rising insecurity in tertiary institutions, and delays in housing loan disbursement, warning that it may embark on an indefinite strike if the Federal Government fails to act on its demands by the end of July 2026.

The warning was contained in a communique jointly signed by the National President, Philip Adebanjo Ogunsipe, and the National Secretary, Nura Shehu Gaya, at the end of the association’s 80th General Executive Council (GEC) meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja.

The GEC-in-Session said it “deliberated extensively on matters affecting the welfare of its members, the state of polytechnic education, and other critical national issues,” expressing deep concern over worsening conditions in the sector.

On welfare, the union decried the “continuous and protracted delay in the release and payment of outstanding promotion arrears for the years 2021 to 2025,” warning that affected members were being subjected to “avoidable financial hardship and psychological distress.”

It also condemned the alleged withholding of “one-year 25%/35% salary increment arrears” owed to non-teaching staff in federal polytechnics, describing the development as unfair and demoralising.

On security, SSANIP lamented the worsening situation across the country, citing the attack on Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, where a staff member was killed, while two staff and six students remain in captivity.

The union said the situation has “created an atmosphere of severe panic, causing staff and students to flee the institution for safety,” and called for urgent intervention by security agencies to secure their release.

SSANIP also criticised delays in accessing the National Housing Fund (NHF) home renovation loans administered by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, alleging that members have been excluded despite continuous salary deductions over several years.

It further raised concerns over “lack of transparency in the implementation of the Yayale Ahmed Committee report,” alleging that communication of outcomes had not been extended fairly to the union.

The council issued several resolutions, including a demand for the immediate payment of all outstanding arrears, urgent reform of NHF loan processes, improved campus security, and compensation for the family of the slain staff member.

It warned that failure to release implementation directives of the Yayale Ahmed Committee report by the end of July 2026 would compel it to direct members nationwide to embark on an indefinite industrial action.

SSANIP reaffirmed its commitment to industrial peace but warned that continued neglect of its demands could leave the union with no option but to resort to industrial action, stressing that “industrial harmony is a two-way street,” and adding that members’ patience had been “stretched to its elastic limit.”

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