The recently released Earned Allowance by the Federal Government to the Nations’ federal universities, is currently generating ripples and crisis among the non-academic staff unions in the University of Ibadan (UI).
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), is not exempted from the crisis as its members sit with their eyes widely opened to see if the sharing formula of the federal government will lack transparency.
The Federal Government released the sum of N40billion in the ratio of 75 and 25 per cents between ASUU and the non-academic unions respectively.
The non-academic unions comprise of the Senior Staff Association Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
PrimeStarNews reliably gathered that all the Unions concerned are skimming to flout the conditions stipulated by the federal government for the sharing of the fund among the staff.
As the name suggests, it is earned allowance, not a largesse and whatever received by each staff must be earned.
However, it is being alleged that the unions’ leadership have come up with series of considerations, which if follow, will defeat the essence and motive of the allowance and if the federal government attempts to play a fast game, some of the unions’ leaders may be quizzed about the ways the fund is shared and maybe leads to prosecution of any staff found culpable of graft.
Some non-academic staff are already poised for a showdown should the federal government’s guidelines on the sharing of the fund is not strictly adhered to.
According to our sources, the leadership of the institution has set up a committee on the disbursement of the earned allowance among the unions.
However, there are allegations that the institution is trying to do the disbursement for the non-teaching staff without following the approved template from the National University Commission (NUC).
It was gathered that NAAT, in particular, is not happy about the disbursement process. A source said: “They choose to close their eyes against the individual union agreements (SSANU, NAAT and NASU), knowing fully well that each union has its own peculiarity.
“The University of Ibadan has been perceived to have been in the opposite side of doing the right thing when it comes to sharing, where earned allowance has been to turned to jamboree in the time past and they ”.
In a memo by the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), signed by its General Secretary and addressed to all branches, the union alleged that it has been cheated in the past sharing formula used for disbursing the first, second and third tranches released by the federal government.
The union said it is determined to resist any form of cheating and denial of right from other unions this time around as they say “enough is enough” while their national body has been put on red alert for further action in case the money is shared unjustly.
The memo, which was signed by its General Secretary, Abubakar V. Yusuf, read in part, “I am directed to inform you to insist that payment must be done based on individual university-based unions agreement.
“If, however, the university pay contrary to the above and NAAT members are short-changed, you are please required to report in details the nature of payment made to the General Secretary’s email. Where these reports will be collated and a formal case be made to the Honourable Minister of Education for redress”.
It would be recalled that the last earned allowance shared in the University almost tore members of ASUU and authoritatively, the wound is yet to heal.
A Professor said, “If ASUU repeat what they did the last time, they will not find it easy with me”.
