…UNILORIN lecturers urge FG intervention to save varsities from collapse
The academic and administrative activities were on Tuesday disrupted at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) following a peaceful protest staged by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), over non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), totaling N600 million and other releases to strengthen University education.
The lecturers, who were seen with placards conveying various inscriptions; “Save the Ivory Towers from Total Collapse,” “We Say No to Enslavement, Education is a right that Must be protected” and “Revitalization is Key to the Survival of the Nigerian Universities”, matched round, from the institution’s Assembly Hall to the main entrance of the varsity, and were led by the leadership of NSUK branch of the ASUU.
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According to ASUU, failure to commence the implementation of agreements reached with the union in 2019, they would be left with no option to breakdown the existing industrial harmony in the school.
Addressing newsmen, Samuel Alu, the ASUU Chairman in the University, explained that Public Universities across the Country had continued to suffer infrastructure and manpower deficits due to inadequate attention.
Alu, then called on the Federal and State Governments to take steps towards addressing their demands, including the release of funds for the Revitalization of the public universities, payment of Earned Academic Allowance and indiscriminate proliferation of universities across the country.
He stressed the need for Governor Abdullahi Sule to toe the path of Kwara, Ekiti and Osun State Governments and commence payment of the Federal Government’s N35,000 wage award to lecturers of the University to provide them relief from the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
At the University of Ilorin, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) urged the Federal Government to do the needful to save the nation’s ivory towers from being shut down again.
The Union gave the plea after its members at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State staged a peaceful rally round the institution’s campus.
Alex Akanmu, the ASUU chairman in the University, said: “well-meaning Nigerians should prevail on the government to do the right thing now. This rescue mission of not allowing our institutions to be shut down is a collective task.
“Since the introduction of IPPIS in 2007, our union has vehemently opposed the platform because of the danger to the realization of university autonomy, its antithesis to global practices and the fraud associated with the deployment.
” The allegations of bribery, delay in capturing staff on payroll and corruption are till date major features of the IPPIS. Our union, with different positions to the imposition of IPPIS, challenged and at no cost, developed and proposed University Transparent and Accountability Solution (UTAS) considered as suitable for the universities but the government, guided by IMF interest opposed the acceptance and deployment of this solution.
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“The same government, in July 2023 through the Senate, realizing the havoc and level of fraud by IPPIS launched a probe with no outcome till now. In December 2023, the government through the Federal Executive Council directed the removal of universities and other tertiary institutions from the IPPIS platform but this directive is yet to be obeyed even by the government.
“Our salaries are still been paid under the newly branded “New IPPIS”. The mutilation of our salaries and surprises brought by the discrepancies in payment is still alarming on monthly basis.
“We demand for immediate implementation of the directive on exiting the universities and other tertiary institutions from IPPIS and release of third-party deductions for cooperative societies, pension contributions and appropriate check-off dues,” Akanmu said
