Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan
Following a violent protest action of the non-teaching staff of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, this week, the management of the institution has reacted with a Special Release titled, “Earned Allowances: Prevailing Situation on OAU Campus”.
The special release with reference: RO.2/Vol. V1/320, was signed by the Registrar and Secretary to Council, D.O. Awoyemi and copied all the principal officers including the chairmen of the security committee, committee of deans, provosts and deans, directors of centres/institutes, head of departments and all notice boards.
In the release, the management stated that it has exercised great restraint in the face of all the impunity and illegal actions of the non-teaching staff adding that it could no longer fold its arms while some individuals under the guise of the unions would continue to hold the university community to ransom.
The management in a strong term condemned the non-teaching staff for the blockage of the university roads, molestation of staff and preventing staff and students from carrying out their lawful duties, stating that these shall be met with serious sanctions.
The management further stated that in order to restore peace and orderliness on campus, it has decided to fully enforce the rules and regulations governing staff conduct as well as ensuring and guaranteeing the safety of lives and properties of members of the university community.
Before declaring its position, the management gave a detailed account of several meetings held with all the unions to avoid unnecessary crisis.
According to the release, “In a letter from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, dated 17th November, 2017, the University was informed that the sum of N1, 739,406.074.68 has been cash-backed into the TSA sub-Account with the Central Bank of Nigeria, being Earned Allowance with N1,571,133.153.50 allotted to ASUU and N168,272.921.18 for Non-Teaching staff. In an earlier letter, dated 30th October 2017, the Federal Ministry of Education had written to the Accountant General of the Federation that the Ministry has verified the claims of twenty-two academic staff, ASUU, for the sum of N4, 610, 301,325.96 only. At a meeting with the Staff Unions on Monday 27th November, 2017 these details were conveyed to all the four unions, ASUU, NAAT, NASU and SSANU.
“It should be noted that before the receipt of the letters, the University Council had in anticipation proposed a Committee to be Chaired by an External member of the University Council, with the DVC, Academic, Bursar, Registrar, two members of each union, the director, personnel Affairs and the Deputy Registrar, Legal, as members to work out the disbursement of the funds in line with the method adopted in the disbursement of the first tranche. Although the External Member of the Council came as proposed, he had to travel back when it became obvious that the money had been specifically allocated to the unions by the government and that the non-teaching unions were also not ready for such a meeting.
“On Monday 27th November, 2017, Management held a meeting with the Executives of ASUU and non-teaching staff unions of the university to discuss the letter from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation on the release of Earned Allowances to the unions. ASUU confirmed the percentage allocated to it by the AGF office while the executives of the three non-teaching staff unions vehemently rejected the amount that was allocated to them. They however indicated their resolve to wait for the outcome of the meeting of the Joint Action Committee of their union that was holding in Abuja that same day.
“On Tuesday 28th November 2017, the three non-teaching staff unions held a congress in the morning after which members blocked the main entrances to the university (without prior notice of industrial action to management), molesting innocent members of the university community who were on their lawful duties, locking and forcing people out of their offices and lacing offices with fetish objects to intimidate staff, students and visitors to the university. They also prevented the holding of an inaugural lecture at the Oduduwa Hall, beat a professor and impound his vehicle which they used to block the road. Their reprehensible conducts constitute an embarrassment to the university, thereby bringing the image of the university into disrepute.
“Following a release of a resolution by the three non-teaching staff union, management invited the executives to a meeting on Wednesday 29th November, 2017. At the meeting, the unions maintained the position that the money released should not be paid to any of their members.
“Management on its parts explained the possible implication of their position and pointed out that if the money released is not paid by 31st December, 2017, it would be mopped up by the Federal Government since the money was paid into the Treasury Single Account as personnel emolument. The Earned Allowance was negotiated and released at the National level by the Federal Government. The percentage allocation to the unions is not peculiar to our university. It should be noted that many universities concerned have already disbursed the funds to their staff. The University Council has therefore directed that any union that is ready with their computation on the disbursed funds should be paid without delay”.