SPOTLIGHTS
- ASUU-AAU rejects SIT report, citing misrepresentation and harm to the university
- Union alleges unpaid salaries, poor funding, and erosion of university’s autonomy
- ASUU-AAU demands governor’s intervention to address these issues
From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma chapter, has rejected the report presented by the Special Intervention Team (SIT) to the Edo State governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, and the subsequent praise showered on the team. The union claims the SIT has done more harm than good to the institution.
In a statement signed by Dr. Cyril Onogbosele and Dr. William Odion, the Chairperson and Assistant Secretary of ASUU-AAU Ekpoma respectively, and made available to journalists in Benin, they described the report as “a gross misrepresentation of facts, a slap on the face of truth, and a desperate attempt by SIT to justify their illegality and cover up their failures.”
The Union stated that since SIT was constituted in May 2021 by the Edo State Government to play the role of a governing council in the University, which normally performs the functions of sourcing funds, repositioning, and ensuring industrial harmony, among other things, the endpoint of SIT’s performance is “abysmal failure.”
Read also: ASUU makes case for neutral, competent governing council for AAU, Ekpoma
The Union bemoans that it is sad that the Governor commended their reign in the University, which was characterized by “impunities, dehumanization and victimization of staff and students, denial of workers’ right to appropriate wages, poor funding of the University, industrial disharmony, and erosion of university’s autonomy, culture, and ethos.”
They alleged that SIT’s claim to have cleared eight months of outstanding salaries of staff was false and misleading.
According to ASUU, “The University is still in default of payment of salaries of some staff for 29 months while others are being owed varying numbers of months of unpaid salaries up to May 2024.”
“In addition, check-off dues and welfare savings of members of ASUU and other staff unions in the University deducted by the University Administrations from September 2020 to November 2021, amounting to over two billion naira, have not been paid until now.”
The Union also described as false the claim by the SIT of employing qualified staff to fill identified gaps in the University.
“SIT’s style of employment of staff in the University was a farce. In their recruitments, they set aside the University’s Laws and Regulations and foisted on the employees’ alien conditions of service and prohibitions from joining any trade union in violation of their fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The Union demanded that the Governor take immediate action to address the issues plaguing the university, including the non-constitution of a governing council; lack of substantive principal officers; lack of funding of the University; non-payment of all outstanding salaries/deductions from staff salaries; notional promotion of staff, and undue termination of the appointment/retirement of some members of staff.
They stressed that anything less than that will be a continuation of the illegality and impunity that has characterized the SIT’s tenure, which the Union will continue to resist.