ASUU: Fed Govt lied on N92b earned allowance

The National Universities Commission (NUC)
has cleared the air on the controversial N92
billion earned allowances contained in the
2009 agreement reached by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal
Government.
The NUC said the earned allowances of N92
billion in the agreement covers the earned
allowances of the academic and non-academic
workers.
While the Federal Government claimed it had
released N100 billion for infrastructure in
federal universities, ASUU insisted that the
amount due for injection is N500 billion.
The government also said it has met
substantially, the agreements reached with the
union, except the N92 billion earned
allowances.
But in a letter dated August 26, 2013, signed
by the NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius
Okojie, addressed to the Pro-Chancellor of the
University of Ibadan, the NUC boss directed
the governing councils to provide oversight in
the administration of the released earned
allowances to “deserving academic and non-
academic workers”.
Speaking in a telephone chat with reporters in
Ibadan, the Chairman of the University of
Ibadan chapter of ASUU, Dr. Segun Ajiboye,
said ASUU had been vindicated by the
campaign of calumny by the Federal
Government to the effect that the earned
allowances was for only academic workers.
He described the initial claims by the
government representatives that ASUU was
demanding N92 billion earned allowances for
its members as a blackmail, which has “now
fallen like a pack of cards”.
According to him, “Nigerians should by now
see that our government is a government of
deceit”.
“The government that told Nigerians some
weeks ago that ASUU was demanding N92
billion as allowances for its members has now
written a letter that the amount is for both
academic and non-academic workers in
Nigerian federal universities. This shows our
government lies with impunity. Nigerians
should know that the N92 billion is to service
earned allowances of the academic and non-
academic workers in the universities for three
and a half years from 2009. ASUU is insisting
on total implementation of the 2009
agreement and the 2012 Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU). We are not interested in
tokenism. As at now, the amount due for
injection into the universities in the agreement
is N500 billion and not N100 billion. We want
our universities back on track and we want the
best for our children. Nigerians should join the
union in pressurising the government, which
had lied that it had no money, only for it to
approve N100 billion. Federal Government
must inject the remaining funds into the
educational system.”