Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A coalition of healthcare professionals in Nigeria's federal tertiary institutions has threatened to institute legal proceedings against the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) over the alleged exclusion of health workers from the implementation of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Allowance (CONTTA). The Coalition of Healthcare Professionals in Tertiary Education Institutions of Nigeria, in a statement issued on Friday, July 31, 2026, condemned the development as discriminatory and called on the Federal Government to intervene, warning that it was prepared to take the unions to court if the matter was not resolved.
The coalition alleged that health workers in federal university medical centres were excluded from the recently concluded CONTTA allowance agreement between the Federal Government and SSANU/NASU, despite being dues-paying members of the unions. According to the coalition, while the allowance, alongside six months' arrears, was being paid to other non-academic staff in federal universities, health workers on the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) had been left out. The coalition claimed that the exclusion was being carried out by national and branch executives of SSANU and NASU in collaboration with bursars of the affected institutions, a practice it described as a violation of the rights of its members.
In a statement issued by its National Chairman, Musa Shehu, the coalition expressed dismay that its members were being discriminated against simply because they operated under a different salary structure. "Presently, the CONTTA allowance plus six months' arrears are being paid to all non-academic staff in federal universities, excluding health workers. This has caused emotional strain, as members watch their own union executives discriminate against them by denying them Federal Government benefits simply because health workers operate under a different salary structure. We are members of SSANU and NASU, and they deduct dues from us monthly," the statement read. The coalition maintained that the CONTTA allowance was approved for all non-academic staff to cover professional association subscriptions, conferences and refresher training, ICT and data support, as well as the purchase of professional documents, including Acts, gazettes, circulars and the Public Service Rules.
The group argued that the allowance was not tied to any salary structure and, therefore, should not be restricted to employees on the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS). It further alleged that some affected members who approached SSANU and NASU branch officials or university bursars were told that the allowance was meant only for workers on CONTISS and that employees on CONHESS or CONMESS would have to convert to CONTISS before becoming eligible. Describing the explanation as misleading, the coalition alleged that the exclusion amounted to discrimination against members based on salary structure and violated provisions of the Trade Union Act, which, it said, guarantees workers the right to belong to unions without discrimination.
The coalition called on the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to investigate the alleged discrimination and compel SSANU and NASU to include health workers in the payment of the allowance. It also urged the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to clarify that CONTTA applies to all non-academic staff regardless of salary structure, while asking the National Universities Commission to direct federal universities to ensure that health workers were not excluded from the payment. Warning that it was prepared to institute legal proceedings against the unions, the coalition said, "The implementation of the 2026 agreement must be done promptly, fully and without discrimination. The law is clear. We will not be silenced."
The dispute centres on the CONTTA allowance, which was introduced following negotiations between the Federal Government and the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU. The allowance was designed to support non-academic staff in covering professional association subscriptions, training, and the purchase of professional documents. However, the coalition argues that the exclusion of health workers, who are members of the unions and pay their dues, is a violation of their rights and an act of discrimination.
Responding to the allegations, the National Vice President of SSANU, Abdulsobur Abdulsalam, denied that the union deliberately excluded health workers, saying the decision was taken by the Federal Government during negotiations. He said SSANU had gone into the negotiations seeking improved allowances for all non-academic staff but was informed that it could only negotiate for workers covered by the salary structure agreed to in the 2009 negotiations. "We went to the negotiation with an intention to negotiate for all cadres in the university system, but they told us that if we were not the ones that negotiated it," Abdulsalam stated, suggesting that the government limited the scope of the agreement to workers under the CONTISS framework.
The controversy has exposed deep-seated tensions within the non-academic workforce in Nigeria's federal universities, where health workers, though members of the same unions, operate under different salary structures. The coalition's threat of legal action adds a new dimension to the dispute, potentially setting the stage for a protracted legal battle that could further strain industrial relations in the tertiary education sector. The CONTTA allowance, estimated to be worth billions of naira, was a key component of the 2026 agreement between the Federal Government and the non-academic unions, and its implementation has been closely watched by workers across the sector.
The coalition's decision to seek judicial intervention reflects a growing trend of workers turning to the courts to resolve disputes over allowances and entitlements. It also highlights the challenges faced by unions in balancing the interests of their diverse memberships, particularly when government policies create divisions based on salary structures. The Federal Government, through the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, has been urged to provide clarity on the eligibility criteria for the CONTTA allowance to prevent further disputes.
As the threat of legal action looms, the coalition has made it clear that it will not back down. The group is demanding an immediate end to the exclusion of health workers from the CONTTA allowance and the payment of all arrears owed to its members. The unions and the Federal Government now face increasing pressure to resolve the dispute through dialogue, or risk being dragged to court by aggrieved health workers who say they have been left out of a benefit they are entitled to as members of the unions. For the thousands of health workers affected, the fight is not just about money; it is about fairness, equity, and the right to be treated as equal members of the unions they pay dues to belong to.
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