SSANU Tells FG to Release N50bn Arrears of Earned Allowances Without Delay

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

University workers under the aegis of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have asked the federal government to release the N50 billion meant for the payment of outstanding Earned Allowances of university workers without further delay.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting, which was signed by the President, SSANU, Mohammed H. Ibrahim, the association said that federal government should stop delaying the release the sum which was part of the collective bargaining agreements signed between it and the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU.

The communiqué stated: “Arising from the collective bargaining Agreements signed between the JAC of SSANU and NASU and the federal government, government had promised to release the sum of N50 billion for payment of outstanding Earned Allowances to Universities and Inter-University Centres.

“This agreement is yet to be fulfilled. NEC-in-session urges government to release funds for payment of the allowances without further delay as this was provided for in the 2023 budget.”

SSANU regretted that despite efforts to ensure that some of her members who were yet to be paid arrears of the national minimum wage which was approved in 2018, were paid, government was yet to do the needful.

“NEC therefore calls on government to as a matter of urgency, commence payment to the following under-listed universities: Federal University Otuoke; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; Federal University, Dutsima4. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi. Federal University, Gashua, Yobe6. Federal University Kashere; University of Maiduguri; Modibo Adamawa University, Yola; University of Benin, Benin; College of Medicine, of the University of Lagos, Idi-Araba and University of Calabar.”

While condemning what it described as arbitrary and blanket dissolution of Governing Councils of federal universities by the federal government, SSANU said the action was illegal, inimical to the growth and proper functioning and management of universities in Nigeria.

It stated that the appointment of Governing Councils was tenured in line with the extant laws as gazetted.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the law also provides that Governing Councils can only be dissolved on proven cases of corruption and incompetence,” SSANU added.

Commenting on the state of affairs in the country, SSANU stated that it viewed the monumental socio-economic upheavals in the Nigeria as symptomatic of a failing state.

It stated further that the country was, “economically prostate because of bad government policies, high rate of unemployment fueling dangerous insecurity challenges of kidnapping, banditry, youthful fraudulent activities, inflation, bad roads, failed medical facilities and all attendant manifestations of a dying nation.”

As a solution, SSANU urged government to redirect the ship of the nation by introducing sound economic measures, gag the corruption monster and provide jobs for the teeming youths to avert the total collapse of the country.