Bauchi Varsity ASUU decries poor Condition of Service, absence of Pension Scheme.
ASUU SAZU Chairperson Comrade Awwal Nuhu in an interview with newsmen shortly after the Union’s Congress
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
Bauchi State Government has been urged to urgently establish a defined Pension Scheme and Staff Exit Policy in the condition of service of Sa’adu Zungur University SAZU to ensure the long-term well-being of academic staff of the institution.
Similarly, the Government was also charged to ensure the implementation of 35 percent and 25 percent Wage Award and payment of arrears, Earned Academic and Excess Workload Allowances, Post Graduate Internal Examiner’s Allowance/Arrears among others.
The Chairperson Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU Sa’adu Zungur University SAZU Chapter, Comrade Awwal Hussain Nuhu made the call at Press briefing shortly after the Union’s Congress at the Yuli Campus of the institution in Bauchi.
Comrade Awwal Nuhu said since the establishment of the institution over thirteen years ago, the union has made efforts to get the University administration and the Governing Council to workout a defined exit policy and dead benefit for the staff, but none of their deceased members’ families received dead benefit till date despite their sacrifices and hard work.
“This university is more than twelve years old, yet none of the staff knows his/her fate after retirement or fate of his/her family after his/her ultimate exit”.
“It is pathetic, sorrowful, and lamentable to note that some of our members who have passed away have nothing to their families as dead benefit despite their sacrifices and hard work through the years”, he laments.
According to the ASUU Chairperson, the University Administration and Governing Council have over the years intentionally ignored to address the Union’s demands despite several correspondence sent to them.
He stressed the need for the University to implement the wage award with arrears, effective from January 2023 and all outstanding arrears owed to academic staff to keep pace with the rising cost of living as any delay in the payment would create undue financial strain and affect morale.
“It may be recalled that in 2023, the academic staff of universities were given a wage award of 35% and 25%, effective from January 2023. Many universities across the country (Federal and State) have implemented the wage awards. It is therefore imperative that the University implements the wage award with arrears, effective from January 2023. This is essential to keep pace with the rising cost of living and to recognize the valuable contributions of the academic staff”, Comrade Awwal states.
On the issue of funding, staff welfare, and infrastructural development, Comrade Awwal called on the government to abide by the 2 percent and 5 percent state and local governments monthly grants allocation to the institution as stipulated in the University Law to enable it carry out its activities effectively and efficiently.
He expressed optimism that timely intervention would help solve the problems such as mass exodus of staff as over twenty academics trained from their masters to doctoral degrees by the University have left for other institutions that did not bear any of the costs associated with their training.
Comrade Awwal Nuhu further appealed to President Bola Tinubu to resolve all issues of contention by signing and implementing the re-negotiated FGN/ASUU agreement, non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances, and arrears of promotion, illegal dissolution of Governing Councils in the Federal and some State Universities, the release of withheld salaries for university staff.
“All the issues in contention can be immediately resolved if the President as the Commander-in-Chief would perform the functions of his office by immediately interfacing directly with the leadership of our Union. The President should fulfil his promise to Nigerians that “No child of school age would stay at home due to avoidable industrial unrest in our ivory towers”, Awwal stresses.
The Congress used the medium to call for collective effort in pushing the University to greater height through infrastructural development, research and innovation, as well as the welfare of academic staff, training and development.
