N22 Billion Earned Allowance: Non-Academic Staff Contests Sharing Formular

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• The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has directed its members in the bursary units of universities not to prepare vouchers for the payment of the released N22.127 billion earned allowance.

Members of the non-academic staff in the universities are contesting the sharing formula of the N22.127 billion approved for the payment of earned allowance to staff in federal universities.

JAC had alleged that the Federal Government allocated 75 per cent of the N22.127 billion to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and 25 per cent to three non-teaching staff unions.

In a circular to branch chairmen of NASU and SSANU, JAC said it is aware the Federal Government has released to the various bursary departments of the universities the approved N22.127 billion for the payment of earned allowance.

The circular dated December 14 and signed by the General Secretary of NASU, Prince Peter Adeyemi and the National President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, said ‘we are also cognizant that there is an attempt to disburse this fund any moment from now.’

It reminded members in the bursary of an earlier circular dated November 15, which states that ‘should the Federal Government go-ahead to release the fund for earned allowance in line with the unfavourably skewed formula, no branch or member of JAC of NASU and SSANU in any unit/department, bursary inclusive should partake in the disbursement.’

The JAC leadership informed members in the universities that its position on non-processing of the N22.127 billion for payment remains unchanged.

‘Branches of JAC are therefore reminded of the need for them to comply strictly with the directive regarding their submission of the necessary information in respect of what has been paid as earned allowances to them from inception and what is outstanding as this will enable the national JAC to be in a position to respond to the government demand for us to avail it with what is actually outstanding for payment to our members.’

Two NASU branch chairmen of federal universities told Sunday Sun that members in bursary have been briefed of the directive and have complied.

The chairmen insisted that NASU, SSANU and NAAT have the highest population of staff in the Nigerian University System (NUS) and wondered why one union was allocated 75 per cent and 25 per cent to three unions.

The Non-academic staff have accused the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Minister of Education, the Permanent Secretary and Minister of Finance of involvement in the skewed sharing formula.