The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo branch has bemoaned the deafening silence of the federal government regarding addressing the union’s agitations.

The union members, led by the branch chairman, Dr Micheal Ojo, expressed their displeasure at the federal government’s posture during a rally around the institution, on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of his members, Ojo decried that the federal government and state governments have not demonstrated the willpower to address its agitations that include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, the release of a balance of three and a half months withheld salaries, unpaid salaries of adjunct staff and staff on sabbatical, unpaid arrears of earned Academic Allowances.

Others are the ‘illegal’ dissolution of the governing council, outstanding salaries and promotion arrears, renegotiation of the 2009 FG/ASUU agreement, the proliferation of public universities, failure of some state governments to implement 25/35 per cent salary increase, implementation of UTAS instead of IPPIS.

Speaking, Ojo said the union members felt saddened that the federal government and some state governments had still not paid the backlog of the Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) which it said was part of the allowances captured in the national budget for federal universities.

According to Ojo, the December 2020 memorandum of understanding between the federal government and ASUU reaffirmed its understanding on mainstreaming of EAA into lecturers’ salaries while the next tranche of allowances was to be paid in 2024 yet the scheduled payment had been aborted.

Furthermore, the ASUU chair wondered why the balance of three and a half months salary arrears out of the seven and a half months’ salary arrears in the aftermath of the suspension of its strike in 2022 was still being withheld.

The ASUU, according to Ojo, are also insistent on the President Bola Tinubu administration releasing funds for critical infrastructure projects and revitalisation of public universities, as contained in the 2009 agreement of the federal government with ASUU.

Ojo also berated the government over the dissolution of governing councils of institutions, appealing that universities be allowed to operate by the law establishing them.

In addition, Ojo called for a renegotiation of the FGN/ASUU 2009 agreement, stating that salary awards are no substitutes for a negotiated agreement.

The union particularly called on the President Bola Tinubu administration to immediately set in motion the process that will lead to the review and signing of the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiated draft agreement as a mark of goodwill and assured hope for Nigeria’s public universities.

Furthermore, the ASUU admonished the federal and state governments to rise to their responsibility of adequate funding to arrest the rot and decay that are becoming more noticeable on the campuses of universities despite intervention efforts of TETFund. (Nigerian Tribune)

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