The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has urged the federal and state governments to allocate 26 per cent of their yearly budgets to the education sector.

Rising from its 2023 quadrennial delegates conference/election of the universities and inter-university centres Trade Group Council held at the University of Ilorin, the union lamented lack of commitments by the government, which is responsible for the decay in infrastructure and industrial unrest in tertiary institutions, especially the universities.

“The conference, therefore, calls on the new administration of President Bola Tinubu and all the state governors not to pay lip service to the funding of education but to inject more funds into education as a matter of urgency to bring back its lost glory and for our institutions to compete globally in terms of standard and quality,” it stated.

The communique issued at the end of the conference, which was signed by the Chairman of the Universities and Inter-University Centres Trade Group Council, Buhari Suleiman, and the Trade Group Secretary, Damola Adelekun, also lamented the continued pitiable situation of state-owned universities even after the meeting of the union’s leadership with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and subsequent some governors and vice-chancellors of state-owned universities.

It noted that most state-owned universities owe their workers several months of salary arrears while others are yet to implement the new national minimum wage as approved by the Federal Government in 2019.

The conference noted also that most of the state-owned universities are yet to implement the 2009 FG/NASU agreement on hazard and responsibility allowances amongst others.

NASU frowned against the haphazard nature of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) being implemented.

The union said despite numerous steps taken by it to overcome the inconsistencies associated with the implementation of IPPIS, the challenges continue to reoccur.

It stated that the persistent complaints of NASU members are justified by the recent revelation and ongoing investigation of sharp practices of officials and staff of IPPIS office.

“The conference, therefore, called on the FG to replace IPPIS with another credible and transparent platform for payments of our members’ salaries and entitlements in the universities and inter-university centres as NASU has lost confidence in IPPIS,” it added.

On the FGN/NASU/SSANU agreement that has remained unimplemented, NASU frowned at the nonchalant attitude of the FG in addressing the demands of the unions in the university system that led to the protracted strike witnessed last year.

However, while the conference was quick to acknowledge the collective agreement reached by the Federal Government with NASU under the auspices of JAC of NASU and SSANU in the university system on 20th August 2022, it lamented that the principle of the agreement is yet to be implemented.

NASU said it is concerned that issues that led to 2022 strike are yet to be addressed more than one year later, saying: “Conference observed that members of JAC of NASU and SSANU went on strike in 2022 due to the unwilling attitude of the FG to implement agreements collectively reached with JAC of the two Unions.

“Conference condemned the policy of ‘no work, no pay’ imposed on members of NASU when it is the government that refused to do the needful as the union fulfilled all the necessary provisions in the law before embarking on strike. In addition, work is not left undone in the universities as the semester works are usually concluded even after strikes.

“The conference thus calls for a review of the policy and vacation of same on our members in the Universities and Inter-University Centres because of our conviction that President Bola Tinubu led government believes in the rule of law as the application of the policy on our members is unfair, unjust, and inconsistent with the relevant portion of the Trade Union Acts.”

The union held that it would not hesitate to declare a fresh industrial dispute if the withheld salaries were not paid.

“Conference further resolved that NASU will take necessary industrial actions should the government hesitate to do the needful,” it said.