The Joint Action Committee JAC, of the non academic staff unions in Nigeria Universities has rejected what it called the lopsided earned allowances allocation to its members.
This was contained in a press statement jointly signed by the General Secretary of the Non Academic Staff Union NASU, Comrade Peters Adeyemi and the National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim.
“The attention of the leadership 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 N22.127b 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 3 other Non-Teaching Unions were allocated only 25% to share to their members”, the statement said.
According to the statement, this is the 3rd time this is being done to the members of the three unions who are said to not only be more in number but belonging to 3 different Unions in the Universities across Nigeria.
Describing the development as “brazen injustice, appalling and inhumane,” the two leaders stated that the previous disbursement indicated this way “…2nd Tranche – Year 2017N23b at 89% to ASUU and 11% to Non-Teaching Staff Supplementary of N8b later released to Non-Teaching Staff.
“3rd Tranche – Year 2019 – N25b at the rate of 80% to ASUU and 20% to Non Teaching Staff.
4th Tranche – Year 2021 – N40b at 75% to ASUU and 25% to Non-Teaching Staff.”
The JAC had on 25th February, 2021 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between it and the Federal Government to suspend its last strike which it embarked upon in protest to the earlier “lopsided” disbursement of N30b to ASUU, while the 3 other Unions were given only N10b among other agitations after JAC embarked on strike on Friday, 5th February, 2021.
That action was suspended on Thursday, 25th February, 2021.
JAC had during conciliatory meetings with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige alongside other Government officials insisted on the release of the findings of the forensic audit of the previous disbursements.
“This we believe, if done, will clearly indicate the actual success or otherwise of the previous payments however, till today, nothing of that nature was done.
“We have also queried the opaque formula used in coming up with this skewed and unscientific disbursements.
“We want to state categorically that our members have been pushed to the wall and cannot continue to allow this injustice. We are currently discussing with our members across the nation and we cannot guarantee continuous industrial harmony in the public Universities and Inter-University Centers in Nigeria if and when this current disbursement is allowed to nationalize.
“We are therefore urgently requesting for an immediate suspension of this vexatious disbursement and hereby implore the relevant Government agencies saddled with this important assignment to go back to the table and rework the template of disbursement
With a view to coming up with a more realistic and acceptable allocation formula that will be fair to all members of staff in the University system”, the statement stressed.
The two union leaders also stressed that the JAC is not competing with any other Union or its members but a strong believer of “giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s”.
