Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has threatened of “unpleasant consequences” over the withheld salaries of university lecturers following the 2022 eight months strike.
Chairperson of ASUU, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, MOUAU, branch, Professor M. C Ugwuene, who addressed a press conference Thursday at the university campus, warned that if no urgent and serious measures were initiated by Government to avert the looming danger, university system in Nigeria could further be pushed down the drain.
ASUU members who later embarked on protest march round the campus, accused Government of insensitivity towards the welfare of its members.
The union said it could not find any justification why a Professor in Nigeria would be paid N500,000 per month, whereas Senators and House of Representatives members earn about N29 million and N23 million, respectively every month.
ASUU demands review of salaries of lecturers which it said had been stagnant since 15 years ago despite the biting economic hardship.
“Currently a Professor at bar is earning about N500, 000 per month an amount that is a far cry from the West African and African Average for Professors. This is heartbreaking when compared to the humongous salaries and allowance of about N29 million per month for Senators and about N23 million for House of Representatives.
“These whopping salaries and allowances of these unproductive politicians that are responsible for the current comatose state of the Nation is to say the least unacceptable.”
ASUU demanded immediate release of the balance of the withheld salaries of university lecturers during the 2022 protracted strike.
Professor Ugwuene who was flanked by the ASUU Secretary, Comrade C. E Osodeke, accused Government of destroying the Nigeria university system.
“The Federal Government withheld the salary of lecturers during the 2022 eight months ASUU National strick under the illegal policy of ‘no work no pay’ which was against the International Labor Organization (ILO) Dispute Act. This is an atrocious, insensible attempt to intimidate the intellectuals in the ivory tower and decimate the university system.
“As we speak, Federal Government only paid 4 months out of 71/2 months salaries withheld by the Federal Government as a result of the 2022 National strike; the remaining 3/2 months are still outstanding whereas – the academic work of the 2022 academic year has been completed and the students graduated.”
ASUU accused the Federal Government of not respecting its previous agreements with the union.
“The 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement was inherently designed to be renegotiated after every three years but this is yet to be done and dusted till date, about 15 years after. Recall that it was only in December, 2020 that Federal Government constituted Prof. Mun Zali Jibril’s renegotiation committee. The Committee using the Federal Governments designed instrument of collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and came up with a report which the committee submitted in May, 2021.
“The Federal Government refused to endorse and implement the report but rather dumped it into the garbage bin. The same Government shamelessly reconstituted another committee led by Late Prof. Mimi Brigg to renegotiate the renegotiated report of Prof. Mun Zali Jibril’s committee.
“The Prof. Briggs committee after spending time and government resources in the course of its meetings also submitted its report to Federal Government only for same Government to refuse to endorse and implement the report — what a Government!! The question then, as in the theme of this text “who is deceiving who?” – Federal Government or ASUU?”
ASUU regretted that out of N1.3 trillion recommended for immediate injection into universities under NEEDS Assessment in 2013 to rebuild infrastructure, only paltry N250 billion had been released since then.
According to the union, the under-funding of public universities by the federal and state governments “is a calculated attempt to introduce outrageous school fees which the poor masses cannot afford as witnessed today, and by extension for their children to be without university education.”
ASUU further accused Government of politicising the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) which is an amount paid to lecturers for excess work load, Post Graduate supervision allowance, responsibility allowance etc as contained in 2009 Agreement.
“It is worrisome to note that the Federal Government has not yet paid the outstanding EAA, for whatever reason. The Memorandum of Action (MoA) reached between FGN and ASUU in 2020 agreed that the EAA of lecturers will be mainstreamed into the monthly salaries whereas the other tranche of the allowance was to be paid in 2021. Unfortunately, both the tranche that was to be paid in 2021 and the mainstreaming into the salaries were, not implemented by Federal and most State Governments.”
ASUU further regretted that despite the presidential pronouncement and directive for the removal of universities from the Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and the superiority of the University Transparency and Accountability Solutions (UTAS) over IPPIS, “the cabals in the federal government particularly in the Ministry of Finance who are illegally benefiting from IPPIS, have blatantly refused to implement the presidential directive.”
“The current situation where Nigeria has over 170 universities out of which 79are owed by individuals and private organizations; while the federal government and State Government has 43 and 48 respectively, is to say the least alarming.
“The establishment of Private Universities by politicians and their cohort is a ploy to weaken the strength, academic standard and diversion of adequate attention that ought to have been paid for the development of Public Universities in Nigeria where the children of the poor and the average attend.”
