The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Ilorin Branch, has officially rejected the sharing formula for the N50 billion earned allowance recently released by the Federal Government for unions in public universities across Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Monday in Ilorin by the branch chairman, Falowo Olushola Naheem, SSANU expressed "disbelief and disappointment" at the outcome of the N50 billion earned allowance sharing committee's decision, which allocated 80% to academic staff and only 20% to the three non-teaching unions combined.

"The sharing formula lacks the principle of justice, equity, and fairness," Naheem stated, describing it as "a clear case of robbing Peter to pay Paul and gross injustice committed against the non-teaching union members of the universities."

The union emphasized that the university system operates as an integrated entity where "no group can claim a monopoly of superiority over the others in terms of productivity, performance and impact." SSANU declared the current allocation as "unacceptable, unsatisfactory, and totally rejected" by all three non-teaching unions of public universities in Nigeria, which include SSANU, NASU, and NAAT.

The statement called on the Federal Government, through the Minister of Education, "as a matter of necessity to call the so-called sharing committee to order by addressing this injustice."

SSANU further accused the government of potentially instigating conflict among university unions, stating that such action is "not only provocative but capable of disrupting the peace and stability of our public universities."

The union appealed to "all well-meaning Nigerians and stakeholders in public education in Nigeria to wade into this impending crisis before it gets to a full-blown crisis or point of no return."

Despite the controversy, SSANU commended its members nationwide for their "maturity and placidity" in response to the situation, describing their restraint as evidence that they are "lovers of our callings" and "true patriots" who continue to keep universities functioning despite what they perceive as "conspicuous provocation."

The development comes amid ongoing tensions between academic and non-academic staff unions in Nigerian universities over resource allocation and recognition of contributions to the university system.