The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Strike

  • ASUP vows to sustain strike

    ASUP vows to sustain strike

    The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has said it will sustain its ongoing strike until the Federal Government addresses all contending issues and repositions the sector.

    ASUP’s National President Chibuzo Asomuhga told reporters yesterday in Kaduna that the Federal Government had neither shown any concern about the polytechnic lecturers’ strike nor expressed worries about the state of affairs in the sector.

    The academic said the present administration’s attitude to the strike was a reflection of its general attitude to polytechnic education.

    According to him, such attitude has compounded the discrimination and marginalisation of the sector and its graduates by the public and the private sector.

    Asomuhga noted that while the government intervened in other sectors that went on strike or threatened strike, it had ignored the nation’s call for an end to the ongoing strike.

    The ASUP president said the deplorable state of the nation’s polytechnics reflected the government’s attitude and approach to the sector.

    He stressed that with such attitude, it would be difficult there is no guessing why the much talked about technological development has continued to elude the country.

    According to him, part of the issues raised by the union was for the government to carry out a NEEDS assessment of public polytechnics, as it did with public universities, to determine the funding needs of the polytechnics.

    He said: “The universities were able to come up with the funding requirement and the kind of funding they need, after the government had done a NEEDS Assessment of public universities. We have also asked the government to do a NEEDS assessment of polytechnics. It is only after an assessment that we will be able to come out with the funding portfolio of public polytechnics. The government has now set up a committee, which is working at a slow pace.

    “There is also the aspect of the migration from CONTISS 15, which was approved in 2009. Although at that time, there was an implementation, it only covered the top echelon – from level 12 and above – even though the circular at that time approved the migration for the lower echelon.

    “It has taken us four years to get government to give another approval for the conclusion of this and the implementation of this, including the arrears will cost government about N20.6 billion. We have presented this to all the relevant bodies, but government has not been able to provide funding for this migration.”

    The ASUP president added that even though the government agreed to implement four of their demands before the strike was suspended in July, none of the demands was implemented until after the union resumed the strike on October 4, 2013.

  • Ominous silence on ASUP strike

    Ominous silence on ASUP strike

    As a student, I have been taken aback by the silence of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) on its ongoing strike; which started last October. It has been over two months since the polytechnics were shut and there has been no adequate media publicity to draw the government’s attention to the closure.

    Unlike the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, which drew national attention, the ASUP strike is seen as inconsequential to national development, but the fate of thousands of students is dangling on the balance.

    I was discussing with a friend, who wanted to know the latest about the ASUP strike and polytechnics’ resumption. I offered that nothing was being done to make students return to school because the focus was on the ASUU strike and university students. This discussion made me posted a write up on social media, with the caption: “ASUP lacks media publicity” and it attracted a lot of comments and reactions from students, who expressed the view that the nation still sees polytechnic students as inferior.

    It must be said, the lack of focus to the ASUP demands and its officials’ silence has brought setback to the resolution of crisis rocking the polytechnics.

    Before it called off its strike, the ASUU was always in the news every day. Its nocturnal and daylight meetings with the government were reported as top headlines in the media, a development that I consider to help ASUU’s demands to be met by the government. It is not because the government gave an ultimatum to the lecturers to resume or former ASUU President Festus Iyayi died while trying to resolve the issue, it is because university lecturers were committed and they have achieved their goals and objectives to justify the strike. The ASUP never has such commitment.

    It was the government that was looking forward to ASUU to call off the strike after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), but the reverse is the case for ASUP, why?

    ASUP went on strike last June and suspended the action in October to allow many polytechnics complete examinations and semesters. It called another strike to force the government to erase the dichotomy between Higher National Diploma and Bachelor of Science degrees among other demands.

    The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) executive has also kept mum while the strike progress. Though, some weeks ago, the NAPS called on the supervising Minister of Education Nyesom Wike’s sack for his incompetence and failure to resolve the crises facing the education sector. The union executive needs to tell the government the truth by making their ways into media, but they are letting the students down.

    I believe the only channel through which the government would take ASUP strike serious is by the officials to explore the publicity of the strike on radio, television and newspapers. I believe, if on daily basis, our government can feel the criticism by the polytechnic students and ASUP, the government would be forced to see reasons in ASUP’s demands.

    We are in a world where pen and papers are mightier than the swords. But who will tell the story of the polytechnic students? Why are the people to protect polytechnic students’ interest? Society gives high esteem to journalists, who through their training help translate and interpret complex and technical information into simple language that we can understand. But if we keep mum and we do not express our minds to the media, I am sure journalists would not cook stories for us to be heard, ASUP and unions in polytechnics have to speak up and patronize the media to tell our story.

    The furore generated by the recent 18-page letter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Goodluck Jonathan spread across the country because of the publicity by the media. That is the power of the mass media but ASUP restricted itself to campuses and believed government would come there to negotiate. In Nigeria, if a matter has not blown open, the authority concern may believe it is a child’s play.

    It is high time the ASUP, NAPS executives and polytechnic students stood up and approach the mass media to fight their cause so that government would quickly move to resolve the ongoing ASUP strike.

     

    •Kazeem, is a student of Mass Comm., OFFAPOLY

  • At last, the strike ends

    At last, the strike ends

    Students must have heaved a sigh of relief last week, following the announcement by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to end its six-month strike. Last week’s Wednesday, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by both the Federal Government and representatives of ASUU to end the industrial action.

    I can imagine the first few words that must have been blurted by bewildered students while reading through the news. Indeed, the signing of the MoU on December 11 was the most important thning after the 13-hour intervention by the President.

    Before the memorandum was agreed on, however, students had expected President Goodluck Jonathan to review the 2009 agreements and come up with workable recommendations that would make ASUU to return to work. But that was not to happen. Not wanting to be fooled the second time, ASUU members needed to close loop-holes and reach water-tight agreement with the government this time around. That was thoughtful of them as intellectuals they are. For the lecturers, the mantra was: “Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me.”

    Finally, the strike is over. Students can now go back to school. Lecturers can now roll-up their sleeves to work and give us the quality education they have been clamouring. Abandoned projects can now go into completion. The botched semester can continue without disruption again.

    But how I wished the strike never happened. If wishes were horses, beggars will ride. This was not to be at all. In 52 weeks that make up year 2013, students spent 25 weeks out of school. Their youthful intellects that supposed to be rightly channeled into a positive end were made to think of others things not in tandem with academics.

    Most students engaged in unproductive ventures. This would not have been if the government was faithful to the agreement it reached with the lecturers in 2009. We were told that it is not the government of the day that entered into an agreement with the ASUU, but in Political Science, we are told that government is continuum. Therefore, all actions taken by the previous governments, whether in good or bad faith – are binding on the government of the day.

    Now, another MoU has been signed. Another agreement reached. It is time for government to indeed redeem its battered image. As it stands, the government of the day has lost the trust of the people. Its credibility has been smeared as an institution that reneges on agreements such as agreements with ASUU, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and other unions.

    When trust becomes difficult to command, then something must be wrong. When nobody is unable to trust the government, then there is a sign of trouble in such polity. Nigerian government lacks credibility and trust. Pray, why would everybody not want to trust the occupant of the country’s highest office? Why will proofs be required before further action? Even after a 13-hour meeting? Haba! That shows the lack of trust.

    If government decides to play its part rightly, I believe ASUU and university managements would not hesitate to do same. As a group of intellectuals, the lecturers would be willing to implement the agreements to the letters. The money released would, indeed, go where it is supposed to go; the money would not alight at unofficial bus stops.

    I believe the implementation of the recommendations of the MoU just signed by the government and ASUU will signify Nigerian universities’ launch into the limelight – a launch into global recognition. Our universities will start to compete with leading universities across the globe.

    Students will no longer strain ears in lecture rooms. No longer will 300 students be packed in a lecture theatre for 100 students. We will no longer have excuses to be absent at practical classes because of dearth of instruments. Graduates produced from our ivory towers can now stand should-to-shoulder with their peers across the world.

    Nigeria as the giant of Africa needs not to have a dwindling education system. The sector does not need to be left in the hands of charlatans. According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Our immediate world is Nigeria. Therefore, the need to seriously pay attention to education is imminent for a better society.

    •Kelechi, 200-Level Mass Communication, UNILAG

     

  • Doctors strike for January 6

    Doctors strike for January 6

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has threatened to begin an indefinite strike on January 6, if its demands are not met by the Federal Government.

    NMA National President Osahon Enabulele said yesterday that doctors in public hospitals would end their five-day warning strike and resume duty today.

    Enabulele, in a statement in Lagos, said all doctors in the public health sector would resume full services at 8am today.

    On December 15, doctors began a nationwide strike to protest poor working conditions, inadequate funding and poor infrastructure in the public health sector.

    Enabulele said: “NMA wishes to inform the public that doctors in the public health sector will resume services today.

    “This is in line with our earlier promise to give prime consideration to the Yuletide in the prosecution of our warning strike.

    “It is also to give another opportunity to the Federal Government to concretely resolve all the demands of the NMA, for which it first issued a 21-day ultimatum on September 2.

    “Doctors will begin a full strike from 8am on January 6, 2014, if the government does not satisfactorily resolve our demands.

    “We urge well-meaning Nigerians to assist in the resolution of our demands, which include appropriate funding of the healthcare system, expansion of universal health coverage to all Nigerians and health infrastructure upgrade.”

    Activities in all government-owned hospitals nationwide were paralysed during the five-day strike by doctors.

  • Striking doctors call off strike Monday

    After five days of disrupting activities at the nation’s hospitals, striking doctors will Monday return to the duty posts.
    Announcing the call off of the strike in a terse press statement Sunday, President of the   Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele said that the doctors have agreed to give the Federal Government another chance.
    Enabulele therefore called on  doctors in the public health sector to resume full services with effect from 8am on Monday.
    The statement read:
    “The leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) wishes to inform the general public that Nigerian doctors in the public health sector will resume services from tomorrow, Monday 23rd December, 2013.
    “This is in line with her earlier promise to give prime consideration to the yuletide season in the prosecution of her warning strike action and to give another opportunity for the government to concretely resolve all the demands of the Nigerian Medical Association for which she first issued a 21day ultimatum to government on the 2nd of September, 2013.
    “Accordingly, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association calls on all Nigerian doctors in the public health sector to resume full services with effect from 8am on Monday 23rd December, 2013.We also wish to use this opportunity to remind government that Nigerian doctors shall not hesitate to commence a full blown strike action from 8am on Monday, 6th January 2014, if government does not satisfactorily resolve the demands of the Nigerian Medical Association. We therefore call on the Local, State and Federal levels of Government to take note of this notice.
    “While appreciating the great understanding and solidarity exhibited by Nigerians during the warning strike action, we fervently call on all well-meaning Nigerians to assist in the resolution of the demands of the NMA, amongst which are the resolution of the unmitigated injustices done to Nigerian doctors over time, appropriate funding of Nigeria’s healthcare system and expansion of Universal health coverage to cover all Nigerians, health infrastructural upgrade, e.t.c.
    We wish all Nigerians a happy yuletide season and a blessed 2014. ”

    Sent from my BlackBerry® Smartphone, from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed internet service with Etisalat easy net, available at all our experience centres

  • What next after ASUU strike?

    What next after ASUU strike?

    With the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike over, universities are trying to find their feet again. How will they recover lost ground without compromising quality? KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE and Sampson Unamka report.

    THank God, it is all over, at last,” some students erupted in joy on Tuesday on learning that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had called off its strike. The students had every reason to jubilate having stayed at home for five months and 16 days, a period during which they would have completed a semester. The joy of ASUU’s suspension of the strike echoed nationwide. From Lagos to Ibadan, Benin, Makurdi, Ilorin, Minna, Kano and Abuja, the students and their parents heaved a sigh of relief.

    The suspension of the strike had long been expected, but it was delayed by the death of former ASUU president Prof Festus Iyayi on his way to Kano for a meeting of the union’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on November 12.

    Rising from a 17-hour meeting of the NEC held at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna) in Niger State, on Tuesday, ASUU President, Dr Nassir Fagge said the union was suspending its strike following its acceptance of the resolution it signed with the Federal Government last Wednesday.

    Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwahid Omar witnessed the signing.

    The details of the resolution include the Federal Government’s pledge to pump N1.3 trillion into revamping the infrastructure of all public universities in the next six years.

    With the strike over, public universities are expected to pick up from where they stopped when the action began.

    Though their academic calendar were disrupted, they have redrawn their schedule to catch up on lost time.

    To make amends, Fagge said members of the union would double their efforts to cover the lost ground.

    “We have undertaken to go back to the classroom, laboratories etc, to do our best for our students, their parents and our country,” he said.

    The universities, many of which have fixed resumption for January next year, are considering some options. Should they run a crash programme so that final year students can graduate and those who have just been offered admission can come in? Many students, especially those in their final year, dread elongation of the calendar, and may not mind a crash programme for them to graduate.

    Oritsemolebi Eric, a 300-Level student of English at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said he does not want to spend longer than necessary in school if it can be helped.

    “Although a lot of students have lost the zeal to read, I will like to be rushed. Anything that will make me to go to the next level as soon as possible, I want it. I do not want to spend extra year in the school because of the strike,” he said.

    Caleb Adebayo, a 400-Level student studying Law at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) also wants to be rushed so he can meet his counterparts in other schools in the Law School next year.

    “I will prefer if they rush us so we can meet up with Law School. If we resume now, we will be in second semester of Year Four. To meet up, they need to rush us,” he said.

    However, will rushing the academic calendar not negatively impact learning? Mr Soji Oyawoye, CEO, Resource Intermediaries Ltd, a recruiting and human resources firm, said the impact of crash programme is that Nigerian universities produce graduates who cannot apply what they learn in school.

    He said: “The truth is that there is no way quality will not be sacrificed. Once time is lost, you cannot get time back. People just come up with certificates; they have the degrees but lack the application. Education in most places outside the country is geared towards of the knowledge gained in school but in Nigeria, it is just to possess the certificates. Universities cannot reverse time. The way it is, they will most likely rush the students to sit for exams in topics they were not taught. If they elongate the calendar, it means the next set will not come in. That is the unfortunate thing about education in Nigeria.”

    As a recruiter for many corporate organisations, Oyawoye said he now advises them to organise robust training programmes for fresh graduates to be able to fit into the work place.

    “We advise that every employer should have a practical training process to make sure that the graduates they employ for entry level get the appropriate training they need for the work place,” he said.

    Already, many universities have restructured their academic calendar. Some universities that pulled out of the strike started lectures since last month. The Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, Lapai and the Enugu State University of Technology recalled their students on November 18. The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) and the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki followed suit on November 24 and 26.

    Mr Sunday Gana, Public Relations Officer, IBBUL, said the institution has since adjusted its second semester calendar. Lectures, which started November 18 would continue until tomorrow after which the institution will go on break from December 23 to January 3 for the Yuletide. Examinations will hold for three weeks from January 8-31, and the session would end February 3.

    For institutions that did not break rank, some have rescheduled to start next year, and they have resolved not to rush the students. The University of Ibadan will now resume January 4 and continue with lectures until the second semester examination starts on March 31, running the calendar normally until June.

    EKSU VC, Prof Aina said the university has decided to start the session again so as not to sacrifice quality. “There is no short cut. We have to run the normal academic calendar. We probably will resume January 6 for lectures and run the normal calendar. We cannot afford to compromise quality. We were only five weeks into the new session when the strike started,” he said.

    To ensure that students admitted for the 2013/2014 academic session do not lose a full year, Aina said they would start classes when the school resumes.

    “We are bringing in the new students for the session. So we will likely have two sets of 100 Level students. Fortunately, they are not many. They started screening last Monday. We will spend the normal number of weeks for lectures and exam, and probably end the session in November,” he said.

    Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), Prof Musbau Akanji, also said there will be no rush in his university.

    “We will take off from where we stopped. There will be no compression of the semester. We will put in the remaining weeks for the second semester,” he said.

    Dr Tajudden Yusuff of the Department of Actuarial Science and Insurance, UNILAG, said the students will not be rushed because they still have three weeks before the strike.

    “Of course, the three weeks are enough to cover the course outline. Before ASUU went on strike, I almost finished my course outline and was already preparing my students for exam.

    During the strike, the students are expected to have been reading. So for me, when the school resumes I will only use a week to round off my lecture,” he said.

    Mrs Alawode, FUNAAB’s Head, Directorate of Information, said there is no cause for alarm at FUNAAB as the 2012/2013 academic session had already been concluded before the strike.

    “Our session ended normally before the strike. It is just that the holiday was extended. The new session will be starting when we resume,” she said.

    Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar urged the government and ASUU to evolve strong mechanism for resolving crisis of this nature to ensure that it does not fester and disrupt academic studies in future.

    “It has become imperative for ASUU, the Federal Government and other stakeholders to put in a place a mechanism for addressing crisis of this nature so that our students and their parents will not be visited with prolonged closure of our universities in future with its concomitant effects,” Atiku said.

    The former Vice President, who had initiated an online petition to end the strike, regretted the extended loss of time arising from the closure and its adverse effect, which he said, would be borne in the main by the unlucky students and their fee-paying parents.

    Additional report by Medinat Kanabe, Ibrahim Yusuff and Jane Chijioke

     

  • NMA urges FG to prevent doctors’ strike

    Prof. Ade Malomo, the Chairman Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State chapter, has called on the Federal Government to do everything possible to avoid the impending doctors’ strike by meeting the demands of the association.

    Malomo made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Ibadan.

    He said that doctors strike was dangerous to the society.

    Malomo urged government to pay attention to the demands of the association, adding that the lives of ordinary Nigerians would always be at risk during strikes by doctors.

    “It will not be easy for the poor populace at all. The lives of people will surely be at risk because their healths are at stake. People are bound to die and suffer,” he stressed.

    Malomo, however, said that the association would embark on warning strike from Wednesday to Sunday if the government failed to respond to its demands.

    “If nothing happens till Wednesday, doctors would consider themselves as having no righteous and proper option than to continue the strike. It’s very painful but there is nothing we can do.

    “The association had earlier issued several ultimatums to the government, clearly highlighting the major challenges and potential dangers in the health sector, but they were all neglected.”

    He said the association demanded that the government should act on the unfair adjustment of salaries in the health sector.

    “Other categories of staff are allowed to keep a step in their salary scale while doctors are barred from enjoying the same.

    “Government should look at the issue of designating some hospital workers as directors and neglecting medical doctors who are on the same or even higher grade level than the designated directors.

    “Also designating as scientists, people whose functions are technical and prompting them to act independently of medical laboratory experts, who are proper independent and medical lab scientists.

    “Let the government respond to our resolutions. If the warning strike does not yield result, we will embark on an indefinite one since strike is the only language the government understands.

    “Anyway, there will be emergency treatments.”

    Malomo, however, explained that doctors were not angry with healthcare workers but appreciate their roles.

    “But undermining the status of rigorous intellectuals and comprehensively demanding peak of professionalism, which medicine is, will not be in the interest of future generations,” he said.

  • Labour suspends strike in Edo

    • Calls for removal of Permanent Secretary

    Organised labour in Edo State yesterday suspended the indefinite strike action that has lasted seven days.

    It also shelved the planned week long mass protest scheduled to begin yesterday

    This followed the intervention of the Benin Monarch, Oba Erediauwa, who promised to intervene in the demands of the workers.

    The workers suspended the strike after a meeting of State Executive Councils of organised labour in the state.

    Activities in state government agencies and parastatals including schools and hospitals except the judiciary were paralysed.

    State Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Emmanuel Ademokun who announced the suspension said they met with the state government four times since Tuesday to resolve issues that led to the strike action.

    Ademokun said the state government has agreed to some of their demands except the issue of 53.37% Salary Relativity for public workers.

    He said the state government agreed to revisit the 20% balance of the Consolidated Salary Structure for Health Workers, pay the balance 10.5% TSA for teachers as well as release all outstanding four years promotion for workers.

    He urged the workers to return to work immediately and called on the state government to relieve Major Lawrence Loye of his appointment as Permanent Secretary.

    The workers however resolved to commence the strike action in February 2014 if the intervention by the Benin Monarch failed.

  • NUPENG threatens strike over refineries

    The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has said it will embark on a nationwide strike if the Federal Government goes ahead with its plan to sell the four refineries next year.

    This decision was taken at the weekend during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of NUPENG in Okrika, Rivers State.

    The union decried a statement credited to the Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison–Madueke, about the proposed sale of the refineries.

    The National President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese, who disclosed this to reporters, described the decision to sell the refineries as unfortunate, wondering why Nigeria, the sixth largest oil producing country in the world, is in a hurry to sell its refineries, thereby mortgaging the future of its citizens.

    He said what the Federal Government should do is to repair the refineries and stop the high cost of petroleum products.

    Achese queried the condition of the refineries, which he said had obsolete equipment because “in the past 15 years they have not undergone Turn Around Maintenance (TAM). Therefore, the equipment have not been replaced.”

    He said NUPENG has talked about TAM for the refineries for several years, yet nothing has been done.

    “We keep talking about TAM for the refineries and bringing them up to work optimally. Year in year out we keep talking about TAM.

    Up till now, workers are being trained to prepare themselves for TAM for the refineries.”

    The NUPENG president urged “the Federal Government to reconsider the sale of the refineries because as a union, we will resist it.” He added: “Privatisation is not the solution to the high cost of petroleum products in the country as other Sub-Saharan African countries have discovered oil and this will affect the price of petroleum products in Nigeria.”

    Achese said: “If we must sell the refineries, we must sit down at a table to cross the Ts and dot the Is, otherwise we will resist it as a union.”

    Lamenting the poor state of the refineries, he said while it might be safe to say that the refineries were not working, which was why they were being sustained through the importation of petroleum products, “but you begin to ask, what of the crude oil allocated to the refineries that are no more coming to the refineries for refining due to a breakdown of equipment at the refineries?”

  • UNILAG-SSANU threatens strike

    It may take longer than expected for normal school activities to resume at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) even after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) calls off their 18 weeks old strike.

    This is because the Senior Staff Association of Universities (SSANU) UNILAG has announced has announced plans to down tools to protest the partial payment of earned allowances.

    The university has, however, denied this claim.

    SSANU Chairman, Comrade Adekola Adetomiwa said at a briefing at the union’s secretariat said the university management has failed to pay the allowances in full despite the Federal Government releasing N1.6billion for that purpose.

    He complained that rather than pay them N360,000, the management paid N180,000 each.

    The SSANU chair said members were given forms to fill in 2010 which were updated last year to justify their earned allowances.

    However, Adetomiwa said rather than effect payment with the 2012 template, the UNILAG management used that of 2010.

    Adetomiwa said the union has staged two protests to demand implementation without results, wondering why UNILAG is delaying when other universities have started making payment.

    “There is an agreement signed with the Union both at state and federal levels to improve the level of infrastructure in the universities and also the earned allowances which we have worked for.

    “Based on personnel cost to the university, eventually it was reduced from N167billion to N150billion. University of Ibadan got N2.1billion, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) got N800million while Unilag got N1.6billion; and these institutions including UNIBEN have all paid their staff based on the amended templates.

    “The University of Ibadan, UNIBEN, FUNAAB, even the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife all used the new template of N360,000. Why is UNILAG different when everyone knows that to rent a flat in Lagos costs nothing less than N300,000? It will be an error of judgment on the part of UNILAG management to be paying senior staff N180,000 instead of N360,000,” he said.

    The SSANU boss urged the Federal Government, Ministry of Education as well as the National Universities Commission (NUC) to direct the UNILAG management to follow due process.

    He explained further that UNILAG Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has increased in the past few years, adding that while some states are struggling to increase their IGR, at UNILAG, the reverse is the case because of its location in Lagos.

    “We are calling on the Pro-Chancellor, Prof Jerry Gana to get a copy of the template and ensure that this money is paid accordingly. Denial of this particular document by the management will make SSANU to resort to strike action,” he said.

    Refuting SSANU’s claims, Deputy Registrar, Information and Protocol, Mr Adegbule said on phone that the university has paid SSANU members in line with the 2009 Agreement. He, however, said there were some omissions that were being attended to.

    “The university has paid the allowances in line with the agreement. There are few omissions we have, which were not deliberate, which the university is looking into.

    “ASUU that is at the forefront of the struggle has not been paid, but is not making noise because they know we are collecting information and are in the process of paying,” he said.