FG’s neglect of SSANU, NASU might further cripple varsities — Unions

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, and the Non-Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities, NASU, have accused the Federal Government of neglect and discrimination among university workers, warning that the move might cripple university system further.

The unions, under the aegis of Joint Action Committee, JAC, South South Zone at the end of a three-day national protest in Port Harcourt, said the Federal Government is not doing the appropriate thing, noting that the university system has four unions, and for it to function well, all the unions and segments must be recognised and carried along.

The National Vice President of SSANU, Cheta Ugochukwu Azuma, said the unions are uncomfortable with the situation in Nigerian universities, as the government has neglected some workers.

The unions had embarked on a nationwide protest to reject the sharing formula of the N30b given to universities as Earned Allowances for all university workers by the Federal Government.

Azuma, who described the sharing formula as a divisive arrangement geared towards causing disunity among the unions, said things concerning the non-academic staff are not being taken seriously by Federal Government. 

He said: “… The government has shown irresponsibility and irrational behaviour towards the welfare of staff of the university system. Worst still is the dichotomy they are trying to create, the kind of divide and rule system they are trying to create in the university system. We are saying no to that. 

“On October 20, 2020, the Joint Negotiating team of SSANU and NASU had a Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, with the Federal Government, which was midwifed by Ministers of Labour and Education.

They came up with a seven-point agreement and the Federal Government has reneged in implementing them. “They told us that the N30b being released was for Earned Allowances for all university workers, but today, we are shocked to hear of 75 per cent for academic staff and 25 per cent for non-academic staff.

“We had expected that FG would allow the various councils and university bursary units that know what each staff (both academic and non-academic) earns to work out what is due to everyone. But with a situation whereby you stay there and come up with a sharing formula of 75 per cent to ASUU and 25 per cent to all the non-teaching staff (SSANU, NASU and NAAT) put together, we are saying no to such situation. That arrangement is totally unacceptable to us.”

He also regretted the inconsistency in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, lamenting that workers have been shortchanged severely.