N40bn Earned Allowances: Varsities Workers Insist On Fair Sharing Formula

Universities workers have issued the Federal Government a stern warning over the N40 billion Earned Academic Allowances it promised to release to all unions in the university system.

The workers warned the Federal Government would have to deal with another round of strike if the funds were not fairly shared among the universities-based unions.

The government, on Friday in a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, raised the EAA to N40 billion to be shared by the four universities – based unions.

The other unions in the university system include: Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU; Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT)

SSANU urged the Federal Government to ensure that the money passed through the Universities Councils which have the template of sharing formula.

It also warmed the government to be wary of any group or union that would present any payment platform apart from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) which it claimed is the one recognised by government to curb corruption within the system.

ASUU has presented the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) as an alternative payment platform to the federal government for its members.

President of SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, in a statement on Sunday, said his union would resist the introduction of any payment platform aside IPPIS or the one being conceived by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of SSANU and NASU.

He said government had no business in sharing money to unions as universities were established through statute of law and each university has a Governing Council, which is the employer of all workers and the highest policy making body of each university.

He said the university administration through the registry and bursary units have the responsibility of knowing who should earn what and advised government to channel whatever amount they are giving properly through the Councils.