…Says FG Refuses Payment of N880m Revitalization Fund
Soji Ajibola
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Ibadan Chapter have drawn battle line with Federal Government over unresolved issue of welfare package of its members nationwide.
Briefing newsmen at the end of its congress on Tuesday, its President, Professor Ayo Akinwole warned that any plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari led government to renege on its promise, especially its refusal to sign the renegotiated agreements would be resisted.
Prof. Akinwole who was flanked by the Secretary, Dr. Chris Omoregie, Dr. Dapo Adewole, Dr. Sarah Akintola and Dr. Dapo Okareh said the union was in support of the decision of the national leadership to embark on an indefinite industrial action to press home its demands.
He said the union has been on this issue of welfare package and other related benefits for over 13 years.
The Union’s boss said the Federal Government was handling the issue of welfare package, especially non payment of N880m revitalization fund with levity which is unacceptable.
He said, ‘ the Federal Government has employed all formal and informal tactics to delay the renegotiation of 2009 agreements for four years and the new agreements was supposed to have been effective if the government had signed it in 2021.
“The Federal Government now said the agreement will be tabled before another tripartite committee to consider it. We know this is a strategy of the Buhari administration to continue to impoverish the intellectual community.”
Prof. Akinwole said the Union has explored all possible avenues to make the government do the needful and allowed many stakeholders who approached the Union to mediate to prevent another strike but “they all reported back to us that they were not able to convince government and that government was adamant”
The University don disclosed that the Federal Government is still owing universities about N880billion on revitalization in addition to the refusal to pay mainstream earned academic allowances in the 2022 budget as promised.
The ASUU boss also lamented that while Nigerian politicians are among the highest paid in the world, Nigerian lecturers are among the most poorly paid in the world with professors earning less than 1,000 dollars in a month.
On University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), Akinwole said “the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) examination rated the UTAS over 87per cent and asked us to adjust the areas noted and resubmit for re-evaluation and start a new long process and we asked them what process did the fraudulent Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information ( IPPIS) go through by the NITDA before it was forced down with the monumental fraud discovered in it?
“The IPPIS which is foreign imposed was subjected to NITDA evaluation but a homegrown solution that was developed will be perpetually delayed so that the welfare of our members will be sacrificed to ensure that IPPIS continue to enrich their paymasters. We would not allow this. It is our destiny and we will fight for our own welfare”