LAGOS, Nigeria – Healthcare professionals in Nigeria’s federal universities have threatened legal action against the Federal Government over their exclusion from the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance (CONTTA), warning that attempts to recover payments already made could trigger industrial action.
The Coalition of Healthcare Professionals in Tertiary Education Institutions of Nigeria said it would approach the National Industrial Court if the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission failed to withdraw its November 11 circular restricting the allowance to employees under the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS).
In a statement issued on Friday, the coalition’s National Chairman and Coordinator, Musa Shehu, said the commission had also directed universities to recover CONTTA arrears previously paid to healthcare workers in more than 13 institutions within three months.
The coalition described the decision as discriminatory, arguing that medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists and other healthcare professionals paid under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) should also qualify for the allowance. It cited a July 20, 2026, directive introducing CONTTA from January 1, 2026, and an October 16 clarification by the Federal Ministry of Education, which indicated that the allowance should cover all non-teaching employees regardless of union affiliation.
According to the coalition, the ministry stated that “the Budget Office of the Federation calculated the financial implications of CONTTA based on the entire workforce of the Non-teaching staff on the payroll”. The group questioned why healthcare professionals were being excluded if the budget calculations had covered the wider non-teaching workforce.
It also demanded clarification on funds allegedly allocated for health workers in universities that have yet to implement the allowance. The coalition called on the Ministers of Education and Labour and Employment to intervene and suspend the disputed circular. It also warned vice-chancellors and university bursars against recovering payments already made or introducing salary deductions while the dispute remained unresolved.
The group further accused the national leaderships of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) of failing to protect healthcare professionals who belong to the unions despite collecting their monthly check-off dues.
It expressed concern over growing tensions in university health facilities, including reported protests at the University of Lagos Medical Centre. The coalition said its 21-day pre-action notice to the two unions would expire on Monday, November 16, after which its lawyers would approach the National Industrial Court. It said the planned suit would seek to nullify the disputed circular, compel payment of outstanding allowances and prevent the recovery of payments already made. The coalition warned that salary deductions could provoke “industrial resistance across university health services”, although it reaffirmed its members’ commitment to providing healthcare services to students and staff of federal universities.
The dispute raises questions about the eligibility criteria for CONTTA, the interpretation of the government’s earlier directives and the financial implications of extending the allowance to university healthcare workers. Responses from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, the Federal Ministry of Education, SSANU and NASU will be important in clarifying the government’s position and the potential impact on university health services.
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