The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is demanding over N128 billion from the Federal Government as Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) of its members following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between it and the government in November, 2013.
ASUU, Bauchi zone that comprises UNIJOS, ATBU, Federal University, Kashere, Bauchi and Gombe states universities said that the federal government had after the signed MoU released N30 billion as EAA part payment to federal universities.
The Bauchi zonal Coordinator of the union, Prof Nanmwa Voncir, at a press conference in Bauchi yesterday, recalled that the federal government had assured the union that it would pay the cumulative allowances after due verification of the amount due to each academic staff.
Voncir said that since the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) of the agreement submitted the verified balance to the federal government, nothing has been heard about it again.
“We have continued to work hoping that we will be paid arrears and the allowances subsequently be paid with salaries as directed by the IMC to avoid problem of arrears”, Voncir said.
Voncir similarly recalled that since the drafts of the required amendments to the JAMB, NUC and National Standards and Establishment Acts 2004 was made available to the federal government; nothing has been heard about the laws.
The FGN/ASUU agreement 2009 agreed that there was the need to amend the JAMB, NUC and National Standards and Establishment Acts 2004 to conform to university autonomy.
He pointed out that the inability of the federal government to amend the laws led to the continuous erosion of the university autonomy as seen from the recent craze by JAMB to admit students for universities.
Voncir also expressed dismay with what he described as blatant refusal by management of PENCOM to license NUPEMCO which is the company that should handle pension matters of university staff.
According to him, many academic staff who retire or die find it difficulty in accessing benefits because they have not registered with Pension Fund Administration (PFA), thus causing hardship on ASUU members.
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