Academic Technologists Condemn Selective Payment of Withheld Varsity Salaries

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Association of Academic Technologists, (NAAT) has deplored the payment of four months withheld salaries to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the exclusion of the three other university-based unions.

It said that the federal government should be held responsible if there is any outbreak of industrial crisis.
President Bola Tinubu had recently approved that four out of about seven months withheld salaries of the university-based unions should be paid to the involved university based unions, which went on strike between February to August 2022.

The affected unions are ASUU, NAAT, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU)
THISDAY reliably gathered that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation has started paying ASUU the said four months withheld salaries in exclusion of the other three unions.

But NAAT has condemned what it described as selective action of the government and has directed all its branches to immediately commence mobilisation of its members for a nationwide protest if the government fails to pay them.
A statement issued on Sunday which was signed by the association’s President, Ibeji Nwokoma, described the exclusion of his members as unfair and unjust.
The statement read: “The leadership of NAAT is compelled to issue this press statement as a response to the worrisome information available to the union on the selective payment by government in the payment of withheld salaries to members of ASUU, while excluding members of NAAT,  NASU and SSANU.

“This indeed is a recipe for industrial crisis and a total breakdown of academic activities at such a time peace was returning to our campuses. The federal government should therefore be held responsible for any industrial disharmony due to their actions and inactions.
“It is important to draw the attention of the general public to the fact that the struggle the union embarked upon was for the betterment of university education which was spearheaded by all the university-based unions, NAAT, ASUU, NASU)and SSANU.

“Therefore, NAAT wonders the rationale behind the selective treatment. This is a calculated attempt to deny our members their entitlements and create disaffection within the system that will further plunge the universities into more avoidable crises.
“These divide and rule tactics of the government will not and must not be allowed to stand. Equity, fairness and justice should be the guiding principles expected of federal government,” it added.
According to NAAT, it is worthy to note that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman (SAN) at the high-level stakeholders meeting held on January 11, 2024, stated that nobody will be short-changed.

The union said Tahir stated that the payment of the withheld salaries covers all the university-based unions and that federal government was determined to do everything humanly possible to avoid any disruption of academic activities in the campuses.
“Moreover, the laboratory/ workshop and studio work lost during the strike has been covered by academic technologists as students had since graduated and some completed the mandatory National Youth Service programme.

“Meanwhile, NAAT national leadership has directed all branches nationwide to commence sensitization and mobilisation in anticipation of a nationwide protest on a date to be announced soon, if these issues at stake are not adequately addressed,” it said.
Also, NAAT has written to the minister of education for his prompt intervention in order to ensure the relative industrial harmony being enjoyed in the universities.

The association in a letter signed by Nwokoma and the General Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said the selective payment had pitched the membership of the union against the leadership.
The letter said the union viewed the attempt to pay only selected workers as very unfair and unjust as it pitches the membership of the union against the leadership.
“The persistent failure of federal government to honour and implement agreements freely entered through collective bargaining was what led the unions in university sector to embark on the strike action in the first place,” it added.