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Tag: SSANU

  • SSANU honours FUTO pioneer pro-chancellor

    SSANU honours FUTO pioneer pro-chancellor

    The pioneer Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and the traditional ruler of Ogbaland  in Rivers State, Oba (Eze-Ogba), Dr. Chukumela Nnam Obi 11, has been honoured by the FUTO Chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU) for his impactful leadership between 1980 and 1984.

    The presentation of the distinguished award was the first in the series of activities planned to recognise the monarch.

    Speaking at the event, SSANU Chairman, Mrs. Loveth Chisaa Ekwemalor, said the occasion provided an opportunity for SSANU members to celebrate an icon of inestimable quality who has changed the destinies of many for better.

    She described the monarch as a legend who has made a mark in the annals of FUTO, Ogbaland, Rivers State and Nigeria.

    She said: “As a mark of the union’s respect and appreciation of his Eminence, the union has decided to name the SSANU Secretariat after him. FUTO Chapter of SSANU cannot forget in a hurry the contributions the Royal father made in making FUTO what it is today.

    “As products of your vision, we had thought of ways of immortalizing your name and God Almighty has given us the vision to start a befitting secretariat and to the eternal glory of God, we have after exhaustive consultations among different strata of our Union, decided to name the Secretariat after you as a sign of respect and appreciation for all you did while in FUTO.

    “To others, it was a tough decision to make but to us who were very close to you, it was a simple decision because we cannot forget in a hurry what you contributed in making FUTO what it is today”.

    Responding in an emotion-laden voice, the elated monarch, said that considering the humble beginning at FUTO, no amount of money could have paid him back as much as what the Union has done, noting that, “remembering of yesterday is the essence of community”.

    He explained that what he cherished most in FUTO is the human capital development.

    The traditional ruler commended members of SSANU for remembering him, adding that he was happy that people who have the sense of history are still in FUTO.

    “I thank God for FUTO for having you. People who have the sense of history are still around. Those who do not know or appreciate history are always making mistakes. Every moment of your stay reminds me that all is not lost, there is tomorrow. Every family, community or nation has its own saviours. If only they could recognise them and honour them they will progress. But when the savior is rubbished or maligned, God will remove such savior from them and transfer them to another place”, he stated.

     

  • VC praises SSANU Cooperative

    The Vice-Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA) Ondo State, Nigeria, Prof. Femi Mimiko, has praised the leadership of the institution’s Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, (SSANU) Cooperative Multipurpose Society (CMS), for providing governance to the society.

    He spoke at the inauguration of SSANU CMS building.

    Mimiko, who turned the sod of the building, said: ”I really appreciate you for the great effort you have put into building this beautiful structure. The leadership of the society promised to deliver in six months’ time, but we are inaugurating the building in less than five months. I will like to salute the leadership of the society and vision that went into this building. This is simply beautiful and I am proud of you.”

    Mimiko urged SSANU leadership to always be proactive by adding values to their members.

    He said: “When we have opportunity to lead our unions, the focus should not be how to wrestle down management or authority. It should be how to add value to what we have. Unionism is also something that may be proactive. We can chart a new course. We can think out new ideas. We can dream dreams. Unionism that is still operating at the level of mere agitation is living behind time. Unionism must be able to come out with creative things like this new facility.”

  • SSANU warns against removal of minimum wage from exclusive list

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has warned  against the removal of the Minimum Wage from the Exclusive Legislative list.

    It gave this warning in response to the just concluded National Conference recommendation that the Minimum Wage should be excluded from the Exclusive Legislative list.

    It also underlined its strong opposition to the scrapping of local governments as the third-tier of government, warning that any attempt to uphold these two recommendations will be met with a nationwide industrial actions.

    SSANU President, Comrade Samson Ugwoke, who addressed a press conference on the decision reached at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the union at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), said the Confab should also address other contentious issues in the constitution, including those that have not been adequately taken care of before now.

    Comrade Ugwoke said: “SSANU NEC-in-session commends the Federal Government for convening the National Conference and reiterates its position that the National Conference should address key issues of national unity, equity and justice.

    It should also address and accommodate issues that have been contentious in the constitution, including those that have not been adequately taken care of. ”

    The union advised that the Federal Government should address the recommendations of the conference  thoroughly, adding that  they should be those that will address fundamental issues relevant to the survival of Nigeria as a nation as well as enhance economic growth, peaceful co-existence and national security.

    “SSANU is strongly opposed to the removal of minimum wage from the Exclusive list and the scrapping of local government as the third tier of government. Any attempt to uphold these recommendations will be met with nationwide industrial actions,” Ugwoke said.

  • SSANU slams FUTA for ‘false’ publication

    SSANU slams FUTA for ‘false’ publication

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has condemned an advertorial published in a national newspaper on April 2 by the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr Modupe Ajayi, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola.

    In the advertorial, the Registrar reacted to a visit to the VC by the leadership of SSANU, on March 28, which ended abruptly due to what he described as the unfriendly attitude of the vice chancellor.

    Ajayi urged SSANU executives to stay away from the university and not incite the staff against the management.

    SSANU’s Southwest National Vice President, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, addressed reporters at the University of Ibadan (UI) on the matter.

    He said Ajayi was not present when the union leaders visited the university and was not competent to publicly comment on what transpired at the meeting.

    According to him, the accusation that the union was belligerent is misplaced.

    Jimoh said the vice-chancellor had always been belligerent and unfriendly towards SSANU.

    The union leader, who was among the unionists at FUTA during the visit, alleged that Daramola did not respect any of the unions, particularly SSANU and its officers, otherwise he would not be treating them badly.

    “If Prof Daramola would not respect a SSANU team, comprising the Vice-President, Deputy National President, National Treasurer, National Public Relations Officer and other zonal officials, if he could shut down the leadership of the union the way he did in his office, we wonder who then was belligerent.

    “The FUTA advertorial on February 10, 2014, discussed the issue of illegal redeployment of career directors in FUTA. The Registrar, with the VC, submitted that the university’s Governing Council had taken a decision on the matter. Raising this point in the advertorial, the VC inadvertently betrayed the root of his anger against us. However, the VC and his management are being economic with the truth over the matter of the directors,” Jimoh said.

     

     

    The SSANU leader urged FUTA’s Governing Council to revisit the matter and follow the White Paper on the 2004-2010 visitation panel report and allow the three affected directors to serve out their offices as stipulated in their instrument of appointment in the interest of industrial peace.

    But the management of FUTA debunked the claims of the Western Zone of SSANU that its members were unfairly treated during the visit.

    In a statement by the Registrar, Dr Modupe Ajayi, the university said the story of the event put into the public domain by the SSANU officials was not a true reflection of what happened.

    She said on Friday, March 28, officials of SSANU’s Western Zone were at FUTA for the union’s scheduled 48th quarterly meeting.

    The Registrar said prior to their arrival, the management of FUTA had ensured that necessary logistics supports were in place to facilitate a hitch-free meeting.

    Dr Ajayi said two days to the meeting, the vice chancellor caused an internal memorandum to be issued to principal officers and directors, requesting them to attend the visit as well as the opening ceremony.

    The Registrar said this demonstrated the support of the management of FUTA for the meeting and its readiness to receive the participants.

    Sha added: “The day of the meeting coincided with the 31st matriculation ceremony of our institution and the vice chancellor requested that the courtesy call on him by SSANU officials take place immediately after the matriculation. This was conveyed to the SSANU leadership.

    “Contrary to the position of SSANU, the courtesy call, which had in attendance principal officers and other support workers, did not have any hitch until matters that had already been dispensed with and on which decisions had been taken by the university’s council – months earlier – was introduced by the leader of the SSANU team.

    “The issue related to the payment of salaries for the period when some affected members of staff were suspended from the services of the university. Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to unilaterally take decisions on the issue, he told the SSANU officials not to reopen the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

    The Registrar said it was at that point the leader of the SSANU team insisted that he would not continue with the meeting and walked out on the vice chancellor and principal officers of the university with his colleagues while entreaties by other principal officers to the SSANU team not to stage a walkout were unheeded. That action effectively stalled the meeting with the university management. “It is noteworthy that this case had been decided by two successive governing councils of the university and it is 18 months old. The forfeiture of the salaries was one of the conditions of the amnesty before the affected workers were reinstated.

    “Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to reopen a case already decided upon by two previous governing councils, he advised the SSANU officials not to re-open the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

     

     

    Dr Ajayi explained that at no point did the

    vice chancellor stall the courtesy call and foreclose dialogue, as SSANU reportedly claimed.

    “It is, therefore, imperative to advise SSANU that if it cannot help improve SSANU-FUTA management relationship, it should stay away and not worsen the situation by inciting the workers against the university management.

    “We restate that the management of FUTA, under the leadership of Prof Adebiyi Daramola, has always been and will continue to be responsive to issues relating to welfare of its workers at all levels. Its cardinal principle is consensus-building through dialogue, and it will not detract from this position,” the Registrar added.

     

     

     

  • SSANU chides FUTA over ‘false’ publication

    SSANU chides FUTA over ‘false’ publication

    •FUTA: Allegation false

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has condemned an advertorial published in a national daily on April 2 by the Registrar of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Dr Modupe Ajayi, on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola.

    In the advertorial, the Registrar reacted to a visit on the VC of the institution by the leadership of SSANU, on March 28, which ended abruptly due to the unfriendly attitude of the vice chancellor.

    Ajayi urged SSANU executives to stay away from the university and should not incite the staff of the institution against the management.

    SSANU’s Southwest National Vice President, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, addressed reporters at the weekend at the University of Ibadan (UI) on the matter.

    He said Dr Ajayi was not present when the union leaders visited the university and was not competent to publicly comment on what transpired at the meeting.

    According to him, the accusation that the union was belligerent is misplaced.

    Jimoh said the vice-chancellor had always been belligerent and unfriendly towards SSANU.

    The union leader, who was among the union leaders at FUTA during the visit, alleged that Prof Daramola did not respect any of the unions particularly SSANU and its officers, otherwise he would not be treating them badly.

    “If Prof Daramola would not respect a SSANU team, comprising the Vice-President, Deputy National President, National Treasurer, National Public Relations Officer and other zonal officials, if he could shut down the leadership of the union the way he did in his office, we wonder who then was belligerent.

    “The FUTA advertorial on February 10, 2014, discussed the issue of illegal redeployment of career directors in FUTA. The Registrar, with the VC, submitted that the university’s Governing Council had taken a decision on the matter. Raising this point in the advertorial, the VC inadvertently betrayed the root of his anger against us. However, the VC and his management are being economic with the truth over the matter of the directors,” Jimoh said.

    The SSANU leader urged FUTA’s Governing Council to revisit the matter and follow the White Paper on the 2004-2010 visitation panel report and allow the three affected directors to serve out their offices as stipulated in their instrument of appointment in the interest of industrial peace.

    But the management of FUTA debunked the claims of the Western Zone of SSANU that its members were unfairly treated during the visit.

    In a statement by the Registrar, Dr Modupe Ajayi, the university said the story of the event put into the public domain by the SSANU officials was not a true reflection of what happened.

    She said on Friday, March 28, officials of SSANU’s Western Zone were at FUTA for the union’s scheduled 48th quarterly meeting.

    The Registrar said prior to their arrival, the management of FUTA had ensured that necessary logistics supports were in place to facilitate a hitch-free meeting.

    Dr Ajayi said two days to the meeting, the vice chancellor caused an internal memorandum to be issued to principal officers and directors, requesting them to attend the visit as well as the opening ceremony.

    The Registrar said this demonstrated the support of the management of FUTA for the meeting and its readiness to receive the participants.

    Sha added: “The day of the meeting coincided with the 31st matriculation ceremony of our institution and the vice chancellor requested that the courtesy call on him by SSANU officials take place immediately after the matriculation. This was conveyed to the SSANU leadership.

    “Contrary to the position of SSANU, the courtesy call, which had in attendance principal officers and other support workers, did not have any hitch until matters that had already been dispensed with and on which decisions had been taken by the university’s council – months earlier – was introduced by the leader of the SSANU team.

    “The issue related to the payment of salaries for the period when some affected members of staff were suspended from the services of the university. Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to unilaterally take decisions on the issue, he told the SSANU officials not to reopen the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

    The Registrar said it was at that point the leader of the SSANU team insisted that he would not continue with the meeting and walked out on the vice chancellor and principal officers of the university with his colleagues while entreaties by other principal officers to the SSANU team not to stage a walkout were unheeded. That action effectively stalled the meeting with the university management. “It is noteworthy that this case had been decided by two successive governing councils of the university and it is 18 months old. The forfeiture of the salaries was one of the conditions of the amnesty before the affected workers were reinstated.

    “Since the vice chancellor does not have the authority of the council to reopen a case already decided upon by two previous governing councils, he advised the SSANU officials not to re-open the matter and to proceed to other matters,” she said.

     

    Dr Ajayi explained that at no point did the

    vice chancellor stall the courtesy call and foreclose dialogue, as SSANU reportedly claimed.

    “It is, therefore, imperative to advise SSANU that if it cannot help improve SSANU-FUTA management relationship, it should stay away and not worsen the situation by inciting the workers against the university management.

    “We restate that the management of FUTA, under the leadership of Prof Adebiyi Daramola, has always been and will continue to be responsive to issues relating to welfare of its workers at all levels. Its cardinal principle is consensus-building through dialogue, and it will not detract from this position,” the Registrar added.

     

     

     

  • SSANU threatens showdown with FUTA VC

    The national leadership of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) has threatened a showdown with the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Biyi Daramola, over what it described as his “uncultured attitude” towards their members.

    According to the national vice president who also doubles as the chairman, Western Zone of the union, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, he accused Daramola of not providing the enabling environment to engage in a peaceful dialogue that could promote industrial relations in the institution.

    Jimoh alleged that the vice chancellor allegedly disgraced him and his team in his office on Friday when they came to pay him a courtesy visit and table some issues affecting his members.

    Some of these issues, according to him, included the non-payment of the salary of workers who were either demoted or had their appointment terminated but later recalled in 2012.

    Jimoh alleged that the Daramola’s reaction to the issues raise was unbecoming of a person occupying the exalted office of a VC, adding, “Such an exalted office in an academic environment is supposed to be the height of everything. But what Professor Daramola did was a disgrace to the university community.

    “We had barely mentioned any of these issues that brought us to his office before he started shouting. The vice chancellor does not have the patience to listen to union leaders to express their views. We could not table all the issues we intended to bring before him for simple dialogue. To this end, he has frustrated peaceful dialogue. Consequently, SSANU national and FUTA branch have drawn a battle line with Professor Daramola. If Daramola will not allow dialogue on labour issues, then there will be crisis in the University.”

    Efforts to get the VC’s reaction were not successful, as calls to his telephone indicated it was switched off.

  • SSANU-LASU: why we suspended strike

    SSANU-LASU: why we suspended strike

    It was a heated meeting on Monday when members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University (SSANU- Lagos State University (LASU) broke into camps on whether to call off their three month-old strike or not.

    At the end, congress agreed to ‘suspend’ the strike for 12 weeks to give the government the benefit of the doubt.

    The strike was embarked upon to force the management to reverse the ‘No Vacancy, No Promotion’ policy, improved welfare for members, among other demands.

    And for LASU, the suspension is a big relief; as it means SSANU will join the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which called off its nearly six-month national strike in December.

    An authoritative source said the suspension was partly because SSANU has a copy of the resolution of the committee set up by the Lagos Sate government to wade into the crisis affecting all workers in LASU; and also based on what SSANU Chairman Comrade Oseni Saheed called, “consistency of Governor Babatunde Fashola to walk his talk.”

    The Nation gathered that in November, all the unions in LASU met with the committee, which promised to make available its resolution soonest. However, SSANU-LASU declined the committee’s request to call off its strike, insisting that the resolutions must be made available first.

    The crisis reached a crescendo last week Monday when a conversation between the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa and Comrade Oseni, degenerated into open confrontation with the latter alleging a threat to his life.

    The day after the incident (Tuesday), the university issued an order directing SSANU members who still loved their jobs to fill various attendance registers signifying their non-alignment with the strike. This development further infuriated members of the union. During an emergency congress on Wednesday, they resolved to continue the strike. It took the intervention of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, who met with the union at the main campus on Thursday, to placate them.

    Olukoga, sources said, also promised to make the yet-to-be-ratified resolution available to the union.

    “We have gone through the resolution and the details are quite encouraging; and since we know that the resolution will still have to be ratified by the Executive Council, we have decided to suspend the strike for three months to give government the benefit of the doubt,” Saheed told our reporter on Monday.

    “We also believe Governor Fashola is straightforward. He is the type that keeps to promises. He also listening ears, so we are very hopeful. However, we are using this platform to passionately appeal to government to prevail on the LASU management not to victimise any of our members for their participation on the strike.

    “As a union, we have every right to fight for our rights and protect our members’ interest provided what we are doing is within the confines of the law. We are a peace-loving union and I can assure you that now that the strike is suspended, peace will prevail on campus. We shall all work to ensure that LASU achieve greatness,” Oseni added.

     

  • LASU strike: Union wants govt to release resolution

    LASU strike: Union wants govt to release resolution

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU), Lagos State University, Ojo Chapter, wants the State Government to release the resolution of the meeting held between both parties in November 2013.

    Mr Saheed Oseni, the chairman of the chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that the union would not call off its ongoing strike until it received the resolution.

    “Congress had concluded that the union must receive the resolution of the meeting it held with the representatives of the government before it suspends its strike. This is because we ought to have an official document to refer to in the future,’’ he said.

    Oseni said the state government was taking too much time to release the resolution.

    “The deliberation with the representatives of the state government was promising and hopeful but we do not know why it is taking so long to release the resolution“, he said.

    The chairman warned the university’s management to refrain from lobbying some members of the union to resume work.

    Mr Sola Fosudo, Acting Director, Centre for Information, Press and Public Relation Unit, told NAN that the management had done everything possible to resolve the issues with the union.

    NAN reports that the university’s chapter of SSANU has been on strike since September 30, 2013.

  • SSANU threatens strike

    SSANU threatens strike

    Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has threatened to go on strike, if the Federal Government implements some aspects of the Needs Assessment report recommending the reduction of non-teaching staff.

    It said the rot in the universities was not caused by non-teaching staff.

    At a workshop to sensitise its members at the University of Benin on the Needs Assessment, National Vice President of SSANU Alfred Jimoh accused the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of collaborating with the Federal Government to sack them.

    Jimoh described the affected versions as “demonic verses laced with some poisonous and odious recommendations.”

    He said the section was antagonistic and unacceptable.

    Jimoh spoke at 47th quarterly zonal executive council meeting (ZEC), western zones of SSANU.

    National Public Relations Officer Nad Aboribo said they were sensitising and enlightening their members on the contents of the Needs Assessment.

    Comrade Nad said they were crying out before the Federal Government implements the report.

  • ASUU: Needs Implementation body raises monitoring teams

    ASUU: Needs Implementation body raises monitoring teams

    The NEEDS Assessment Implementation Committee for public universities has constituted monitoring teams to oversee the execution of projects on the campuses of the 59 federal and state universities.

    They are to benefit from the Federal Government’s N100 billion intervention fund.

    The constitution of the monitoring teams was the high point of the meeting which held at the Benue Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

    The meeting, chaired by Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam was attended by Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike; representatives of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Education Senator Atiku Bagudu and Dr Macjohn Nwaobiala, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), and leaders of industrial unions in the university system (NASU, SSANU and NAATS) with the Acting Executive Secretary of TETFund as Secretary.

    Members of the committee include the Minister of Education, Minister of Labour,Senator Atiku Abubakar Bagudu, Hon Jerry Alagbaoso, Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, Executive Secretary NUC, Chairman Board of TeTFund, Presidents of ASUU, NASU, SSANU and NAATS while Mr.Ifiok Ukim,Head of Legal Services at TeTFund will serve as Secretary.

    The Committee constituted six monitoring teams for the six geo- political zones with responsibility to monitor project implementation in all the universities within the zones.

    The North- Central team which has Hajia Hindat Abdullahi as chairperson will monitor the projects in the zone. Mr Oluwole Oluleye will chair the monitoring committee for northeast zone. The Northwest has Mallam Aliyu Na’Iya, Acting Executive Secretary of TeTFund as Chairman with Prof. Kimse Okoko, Chairman, Committee of Pro- Chancellors as Chairman of Southeast Monitoring Sub-Committee. The Southsouth Team will be led by Mrs Sarah Alade (Deputy Governor, Economic Policy), representative of CBN while the representative of the NNPC, Dr Dan Efebo will chair the Monitoring Team for the Southwest geo- political zone.

    Suswam urged the teams to take the assignment seriously. He described the exercise as a call to national service. The Benue governor appealed to the governing councils of the 59 benefitting universities in the first phase of the intervention programme to expedite action on their procurement processes so that the actual work on the projects will begin in earnest.

    The Federal Government had last month disbursed N100billion to the public universities in a bold move to redress the serious infrastructural deficit in the university system.