Nigerian court bars three KASU unions from striking — Premium Times Nigeria

Nigeria’s National Industrial Court has barred three unions at Kaduna State University (KASU) from declaring or carrying out a strike until a lawsuit filed by the university is resolved. The ruling was issued on 5 November by Justice E. D. Subilim at the court’s Abuja division.

As Premium Times Nigeria reports, the ban applies to 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). The court also ordered the unions to halt any strike-related actions pending the hearing and determination of the application filed before it.

The university’s lawsuit

The lawsuit, numbered NICN/ABJ/329/2026, was filed by Kaduna State University, its governing council, and its vice-chancellor against the three unions and several of their officials. The court instructed the university to immediately serve the defendants with the court documents, the application, affidavits supporting the claim, and a copy of the court order.

The hearing on the application was scheduled for 18 November. The court order was issued in Abuja on 6 November and signed by the court’s senior registrar, Vallari Aaron Masomene.

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Workers’ demands

Before the court’s intervention, the unions, acting under the Joint Action Committee, gave the Kaduna State government and the university administration seven days on 2 November to meet their demands. They demanded the implementation of the 2026 agreement on an allowance for non-academic staff, payment of approved salary-related benefits, and group life insurance for employees.

The unions also insisted on payment of a monthly transport allowance of 70,000 naira, approved by the federal government, for six months, as well as respect for the university’s autonomy. They stated that failure to meet the demands could lead to a warning strike.

In September, the unions raised the issue of arrears related to promotions, pensions, benefits, and salary adjustments of 25% and 35%. The state government had previously set up a negotiating committee to consider the workers’ grievances and approved a one-off payment of 300 million naira to academic staff as earned academic allowance.