The Federal Government has commenced payment of the outstanding 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary arrears in some federal universities and polytechnics, while arrangements are underway to settle pending promotion arrears in batches, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has said.
The Chairman of SSANU, University of Maiduguri branch, disclosed this on Thursday during the union’s congress meeting in Maiduguri.
He said it was no longer hidden that some federal tertiary institutions had already received their 25 per cent arrears, with a number of them paid in full for 12 months, while others received partial payments depending on the balance available in their respective allocations.
According to him, the payments were made from the balance of institutional allocations which were expected to be cleared by the Federal Government in December 2025.
The SSANU chairman added that the Federal Government had also granted universities approval to use their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to pay the outstanding arrears, where possible, pending the final settlement by the government.
“Unfortunately, the management of the University of Maiduguri has made it clear that the institution does not have sufficient funds to settle the outstanding 25 per cent and 35 per cent arrears or any related liabilities at this time,” he said.
On promotion arrears, the union leader said the Federal Government had approved the clearance of all outstanding promotion arrears across federal tertiary institutions.
He explained that while some institutions had successfully submitted the required staff details and lists, others encountered delays after the Federal Government directed bursary departments to resubmit documents at short notice.
“The resubmission period coincided with salary payment timelines, and some institutions could not meet the deadline. As a result, affected institutions will now be captured under Batch 9, as Batch 8 has already been closed,” he said.
He added that Batch 9 payments were expected to be processed and fully paid between January and February 2026.
The SSANU chairman assured members that the union would continue to engage relevant authorities to ensure that all outstanding arrears were paid and urged affected staff to remain patient while the process was concluded.
