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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-academic staff union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in the University of Ibadan, on Thursday protested against the 75:25 per cent sharing formula of the just-approved N22.127 billion for payment of earned allowances for university staff.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is to take a lion share of 75 per cent of the total sum, while the other three unions, SSANU, NASU and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) will share the remaining 25 per cent among themselves.
The peaceful protest, which took off from the Department of Theatre Arts and ended at the main gate of the premier university, was preceded by a joint congress of the unions, following a two-week ultimatum that the JAC of national bodies of the SSANU, NASU AND NAAT gave the Federal Government to reverse the sharing formula
Addressing journalists during the protest on behalf of the unions, the Chairman of SSANU in UI, Abiodun Omisore, stated that the JAC of SSANU and NASU had staged several protests before the unions could obtain the meagre or fractional payments of the Earned Allowances till date.
“Arising from the nonchalance and outright insensitivity of the Federal Government von this matter, the national leadership of the unions (JAC) again signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government in February 2021 to swiftly address the following issues: Inconsistency in the IPPIS payments, non-payment of Earned Allowances, non-payment of arrears of minimum wage, delay in renegotiation of FGN/NASU and SSANU 2009 Agreement, non-payment of retirement benefits of the outgone members, teaching staff usurping headship of non-teaching units in clear violation of condition of service and establishment procedures, and non-constitution of visitation panel for universities.
“It is instructive to note that about 90 per cent of the items in the MoU have not been addresses by government. Of particular importance is the payment of Earned Allowances to palliate the global economic downswing occasioned by the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic and other socio-economic factors.
“While government has been severally accused of irregular and or fractional payment of these allowances, of particular worry is the fact that government has been biased in payments, as payments most times have been skewed in favour of ASUU.
“Quickly, in 2017, of the N23billion allocated, 89 per cent was allowed to ASUU and 11 per cent to other non-teaching unions -SSANU, NASU , NAAT. In 2019, of the N25billion allocated, 80 per cent was allotted to ASUU, while other non-teaching unions in the university battled with the remainder of 20 per cent. It is apposite to note that in 2019, when this awry and sinful situation played out, and the non-teaching unions engaged government, government surprisingly realizing that it erred promised that the concern of the unions would be addressed in the following year’s supplementary budget.
“Two years down the lane, – 2021, government again has been arm-twisted and perfected arrangements to short-change the non-teaching members of the universities in the sharing formula of the Earned Allowances. While the non-teaching unions are not pointedly engaging ASUU or scrambling for equality, but sanity demands that there should be fairness and godliness in the Nigerian university system.”
