Academic Unions At War Over Funds Allocation, Gives FG Ultimatum

JOINT Action Committee (JAC), of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, and the National Association of Academic Technologists have kicked against the sharing formula of the N22.1 billion earned allowances for university workers.

JAC, gathered that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), would take 75 per cent while the other three unions would share the remaining 25 per cent when the money is finally released.

The unions, under the Joint Action Committee, have protested and given the government two weeks to address what has been described as injustice meted out to them or face labour action.

ASUU initially took 75 percent of the first tranche of N40 billion earned allowances shared by all the university unions, a development that did not go down well with other unions.

JAC has, however, written to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to intervene in the matter.

The letter titled: ‘Refusal of Federal Government to honour Memorandum of Action,’ was jointly signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi; and the National President of SSANU, Mohammad Ibrahim.

It read in part: “The leadership of the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU is constrained to write the Honourable Minister in respect of the total failure of the Federal Government to positively address all the issues contained in the Memorandum of Action signed on February 25, 2021 and the refusal of the Minister of Labour and Employment to finalise action on the subsequent Memorandum of Action reached at the meeting of August 25, 2021.

“It is regrettable to note that the draft of the Memorandum of Action reached on Thursday. August 25, 2021 which was handed over to JAC leadership for vetting was effectively returned on Monday, August 30, 2021 and almost two months after the meeting, no action has been taken.

“Contrary to the content of the Memorandum of Action of February 25, 2021 and the decision reached at the subsequent meeting of August 26, 2021, the information at our disposal as of the time of writing this letter indicates that the Federal Government has agreed to release another tranche of N22.127 billion for the payment of Earned Allowance to the Universities and Inter-University Centre Staff at the ratio 75-25 per cent.

“We are alarmed at this lack of sensitivity on the part of government when not long ago, non-teaching staff protested the sharing formula applied by the Federal Government at 75-25 per cent for the disbursement of the last tranche of N40 billion released for payment of Earned Allowances to both the teaching and non-teaching staff of our universities.”

“To again embark on this provocative and unacceptable sharing formula in the next release will only ignite industrial disquiet in our university system.