Crisis seems to be looming in Nigerian universities as the lecturers, under their umbrella group, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), are threatening to engage the Federal Government in a face-off.

Specifically, the union is accusing the Federal Government of illegally reducing the salary of its members across the country, describing the development as a threat to industrial harmony on campuses. 

While advising the Federal Government to rescind its decision and pay up, ASUU also enjoined the state governments to pay what they owed their universities from the next tranche of the Paris Club Debt refund.

The union said the fact that a new negotiation team has been set up to address grey areas in the ASUU-FGN Agreement does not, in any way, invalidate the existing agreement, and that it does not confer authority on the government to act with impunity. 

Addressing a press conference yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), the Lagos Zone of the union, comprising UNILAG; Lagos State University (LASU); Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB); Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun and the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) Ago- Iwoye in Ogun State, ASUU condemned the government action, saying it is not only wicked and insensitive, but also provocative.

Chairman of the zone, Prof. Olusiji Sowande, called on stakeholders, including parents, politicians and educationists to call federal and state governments to order; on the ways they take education sector with levity.

The union, which alleged that the development had begun in 2016 in some institutions, however, noted that by February 2017, virtually all federal universities were affected by the government’s unilateral cutting of the salaries up to N125 million shortfall in the case of UNILAG and N55 million in FUNAAB.

He said: “You will recall that this union embarked on a one-week warning strike from November 16 to 22, last year, to press home its demands pertaining to the welfare of our members as contained in the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement. Among the issues in contention was inadequate funding of universities and irregular payment of salaries.

“In recent times, government has been eroding and violating the agreement by reneging on the salary component of the agreement. This is evident in the unilateral and gradual introduction of shortfall in salary, resulting in fractional payment of salaries in our universities.” Similarly, at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), the union warned that any attempt by the Federal Government to resolve to fractional payment of their monthly salary would cause tension in the country.

While addressing newsmen, the Zonal Chairman of the union, Prof. Mahmoud M. Lawan, lamented how some universities currently receive 60 per cent of their salaries, while some 70 per cent.

He said this policy would not only augur well for the system, but also threaten the relative peace on campuses. Lawan said that the 26 per cent yearly fiscal budget stipulated by UNESCO to the educational sector should be adopted if truly the sector is to make an impact on national development.

Also, Owerri Zone of ASUU has called on the federal and state governments to redress the salary shortfalls in the five public universities in the zone, and the country in general. Zonal Coordinator of the union, Prof. Ike Odimegwu, wondered that the anomaly that began in 2015 had spiralled in the last seven months.

Addressing journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital, Odimegwu, who was represented by the ASUU Chairman of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Dr. Uzochukwu Onyebinama, lamented that the development had led to delay and fractional payment of staff salary in federal and state universities in the zone. He said:

“We unequivocally demand the immediate release and payment of all outstanding salary shortfalls and remittance of all authorised deductions in order to avert the impending industrial disharmony in our universities.”

For instance, he recalled that Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, had a salary shortfall of over N88 million in January, and which increased to over N170 million in February, while that of FUTO stood at over N82 million in January and N157 million in February, this year

At MOUAU, the salary shortfall, according to the union leader, for January, amounted to over N111 million and over N136 million in February, even as he added that staff salary in the universities are no longer being paid as and when due, especially in the state-owned universities in the zone. “At IMSU, the December 2016 salary was paid by the end of January 2017, while that of January was paid in the first week of March,” he added.

New Telegraph