…Threaten total shutdown of varsity activities
Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government with effect from 25/10/2021 to reverse what it called ‘the lopsided allocation’ of the Earned Allowance given their members at the expense of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), or risk another round of strike across the universities nationwide.
This was made known to journalists over the weekend by the National Trustee of SSANU, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) Chapter, Dr Ekanem A. Ekanem.
Quoting from a statement issued by JAC and duly signed by the National President of SSANU, Comrd Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary, Comrd Peters Adeyemi, the National Trustee said, it is unfair that the Federal government allocated 75% of the whooping sum of N22.127bn Earned Allowance to ASUU, leaving the paltry 25% to the remaining three non- teaching staff unions, comprising SSANU, NASU and NAAT.
“The attention of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU has been drawn to a document in circulation showing Federal Government’s approval disbursing the sum of N22.127bn to members of the four university based unions,namely ASUU, NAAT, NASU and SSANU. Out of the total amount, ASUU was allocated 75%, while the three other non-teaching unions were allocated only 25% to share to their members,” the statement said.
According to him, this has become a recalling decimal, as previous disbursements from the federal government also followed this obnoxious sequence.
Dr Ekanem stated that as the ultimatum stands,JAC will not hesitate to proceed on strike after the expiration of the deadline.
He reminded the federal government that the last strike was only suspended and not called off.
Adding his voice to the issue,the SSANU Chairman of UNIPORT Chapter, Comrd Bernard Ezechukwu said, soon he will start mobilising his members for a total showdown with the federal government, pointing out that though industrial actions do not favour anybody, especially the students who he said are forced to elongate their studentship for no justifiable reasons, but strike could become inevitable if the unions are pushed to the wall.
He chided the federal government for a high level of insincerity, for not honouring Memorandum Of Action (MOAs) entered into with the university unions.
Comrd Ezechukwu recalled that the issues of inconsistencies in IPPIS implementation, minimum wage consequential adjustment and hazards allowances are still pending,even though they were duly captured in previous agreements. This,he said is indicative of the federal government’s insensitivity to workers’ welfare in Nigeria.