UNILAG health workers protest over allowance arrears, VC pledges to raise case with FG
Health workers at the University of Lagos Medical Centre protested on Wednesday, 11 November, saying they were left out of a payment covering eight months of allowance arrears. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola addressed the protesters and pledged to raise their case with the Federal Government.
The workers, represented by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), marched from the medical centre to the university’s Senate Building, Punch reported.
Workers ask why they were left out
SSANU representative Yinusa Abiodun said doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, radiographers and public health personnel were among those affected. He said the workers were on the university’s payroll and asked why medical staff at some other federal universities had reportedly received the allowance. The protesters called on UNILAG management to explain the reported omission and pay eligible staff.
The Federal Ministry of Education called its January–August 2026 release the Consolidated Non-Academic Staff Tertiary Institutions Allowance (CONTA). In a separate announcement on tertiary education agreements, it used Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTTA) for an allowance payable to eligible non-teaching personnel. Neither announcement specifies whether the UNILAG Medical Centre workers qualify.
VC pledges to raise the case with Abuja
Ogunsola told the protesters that payment arrangements varied across universities and that spending was subject to budget provisions. She said the bursar would travel to Abuja and that the final decision rested with the Federal Government. Her reported remarks gave no payment date.
The Sun reported that the workers had issued a notice on 6 November threatening industrial action over the allowance. Abiodun told the paper that workers would assess the vice-chancellor’s assurances before deciding their next step.
