News

40% Pay Rise: Crisis Looms In Varsities Over Exclusion Of Workers

Published

1 month ago

April 24, 2023

There are indications that unions in the university may rise up against the Federal Government over the alleged exclusion of their members in the 40 per cent pay rise for peculiar allowance and arrears.

The Federal Government has recently commenced payment of the approved 40 percent increase for civil servants in the federal ministries, agencies and departments under the Consolidated Public Salary Structure.

But workers in the university sector have kicked against their exclusion, describing the action of the government as a recipe for crisis.

But the Federal Government has said that there is no cause for alarm as the university workers are captured in the pay rise.

The government also said that it was waiting for the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU to conclude its negotiation on the Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA, on the condition of service with its employer, the Ministry of Education so that it would be transmitted to the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

Speaking to Vanguard on Monday, the President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Comrade Mohammed Ibrahim, said that the idea of denying university workers the salary increment is an invitation to crisis in the university sector..

Comrade Ibrahim accused the government of abandoning the agreement it entered into with the university unions, alleging that the N50 billion Earned Allowances the government promised to include in the 2023 budget has not seen the light of the day as workers were yet to receive any payment on that.

According to him, “This idea of denying university workers the salary increment is only a recipe for crisis in the education sector. Because government had promised two years ago that they were going to review the salaries putting in the re-negotiation committee and re-negotiations never got concluded.

“We have even lost the chairman of the re-negotiation committee. In the last one year we have not heard anything from the government and it is like everything has been halted.

“So if they were people who know what they want and I truly they were interested in developing the manpower of this country and having interest in the education sector, they should have considered making reality those promises they have made.

“There Is this N50 billion Earned Allowances which they said that have put in the 2023 budget, it has not seem the light of the day. There is a proposal for salary increment which they made and which has not also seen the light of the day.

“And now from nowhere we just heard that 40 per cent perculiar allowance has been given to the core civil servants, we are not averse to making lives of civil servants better by giving them any allowance but that the services being offered by the university workers. There won’t be any good civil servant, there won’t be any productive civil servants if the universities are not productive, if the university staff are not properly renumerated because you will be churning out half baked graduates and nobody will have any interest in employing any Nigerian graduate again.

“So the idea of excluding university workers from this salary enhancement is a recipe for disaster in the education sector. This is my position as SSANU President.

“And I want to call in the government to immediately without much delay release the N50 billion Earned Allowances and also implement the salary increment which we have been talking with them in the last two years.

“Meanwhile our organs will meet and take the necessary actions. I mean we will take the decisions that will be comnunicated to the public. But we are not happy with the government, we are not happy at all with the way they are handling the affairs of the university workers..”

However, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said that the university workers were not excluded in the pay rise, explaining that the delay in paying them was due to the inability of ASUU to conclude negotiations with its employer.

He said, “Because they (ASUU) have not concluded their Collective Bargaining with their employers, the ministry of Education. If you remember there was the Prof. (Nimi) Briggs Comnittee and that Briggs Committee reached conclusion with NAAT, SSANU and NASU.

“But there were certain observations made on the conclusion they reached with because ASUU never came for them to reach any conclusion with them. So, there were certain observations that were pointed out to education. So they will now go back to education and revalidate a new CBA and transmit immediately to salaries, income and wages. And salaries, income and wages will work on it urgently as a new CBA for condition of service and transmit to the presidential committee on salaries. We expect all this will be done within the next fortnight.”

Asked whether the commencement date to pay the 40 per cent pay rise for University workers will also be January, he responded in the affirmative.

He said, “It will commence from January because it has been captured in the 2023 budget with the present national assembly. The same will go with ASUU whenever they come back to education and accept whatever education has offered them, it will also go to salaries, income and wages commission for transmission to the presidential committee on salaries, that’s the route.

“So these other people that got their 40 per cent have been negotiating since two years or more. The Association of Senior Civil Servants, the National Civil Service Union and other related joint negotiating councils of those people, they have been negotiating. So, the 40 per cent they got took into account that they have not been having any increases with allowances before. So, it was all that the national salaries, income and wages calculated and aggregated it to 40 per cent as a peculiar allowance.

“Mark you, it is not only on salaries, it also includes their allowances. It is the entire wage structure, component of their wage, monthly wage, and annual wage that have been computed into that. Same is being done for NASU, SSANU and others.

“This time around we except CONUA and NAMDA to go into CBA for their own members”

On the complaint by SSANU that the N50 billion Earned Allowances, captured in the i2023 has not been released to them, he said: “This is what I am telling you. Even their condition of service review and everything have been captured in the 2023 budget. Not only them, the educational sector including ASUU and their allowances. These allowances are even being doubled

“There is no promise to SSANU separately, we are dealing with University unions comprehensively. It is combined. The money is more than N50 billion dedicated to the education sector. Everything has its own components, it’s more than N50 billion. For the educational sector including the Polytechnics and everybody, I think it is up to N350 billion captured in 2023 budget.”

Asked why the the money has not been released yet, Senator Ngige said, “You do one line one step. This is a fall-out of an industrial action, so we are tidying it up now starting with their condition of service of which their wage is first thing first. So it is when you do your wages that you now do extra allowances.”

News

After Meeting Tinubu, Oil Marketers Declare Support For Fuel Subsidy Removal

Published

8 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Editor

The Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) on Wednesday in Abuja pledged its support for the Federal Government’s removal of fuel subsidy.

The association’s chairperson, Dame Winifred Akpani, made the disclosure at the end of a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

She said the association would also support the government’s palliative measures by providing between 50 and 100 mass transit buses.

Akpani said the buses would be locally manufactured and would use Compressed Natural Gas as fuel.

“We pledge our support for President Tinubu in the bold decision of removing petrol subsidy. It is an idea that was long overdue.

“Removal of subsidy is not about making fuel costly and taking it out of the reach of Nigerians. It is about getting it right on the real issue of petroleum product subsidy.

“Who are those enjoying the subsidy? The subsidy ends up being enjoyed by those it was not meant for.

“We also spoke to the president about substitutes to petrol as well as creating an environment conducive for investments to thrive in the oil sector,’’ she said.

Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, who led the DAPPMAN delegation, described the subsidy removal as a bold step that portended positive growth for the economy.

He said fuel subsidy withdrawal was a clear indication of Tinubu’s readiness to address the challenges of the oil and gas sector.

“Subsidy has become a N4 trillion per annum issue and its removal will release more funds for economic development.

“Subsidy removal will unleash the potential of Nigeria because it will open up a lot of resources for the development of other sectors of the economy.

“The National Economic Council will soon begin sitting to propose interventions on the subsidy removal.

“The interventions will definitely be a long-lasting solution to the effect of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians,’’ Abiodun said.

News

ASUU: Ngige Blasts House Chairman On Tertiary Education

Published

8 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Editor

Abuja: Former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has blasted the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Aminu Goro, for alleged fabrications, outright lies and unwarranted attacks on the floor of the House, towards political gains, saying there was no plan to proscribe the Academic staff union of Universities, ASUU.

Ngige who expressed shock by the lawmaker’s outburst, urged the outgoing House of Representative member to go back and read the Trade Union Act, (2004) and not to rubbish other persons for political survival.

The former minister in a statement from his Media Office, among others, said “The Minister of Labour does not need Presidential approval to withdraw certificates of registration of Trade Unions. The Trade Union Act 2004 permits the Registrar of Trade Unions to cancel a certificate suo moto in Section 7 especially as ASUU had breached Section 3 on the annual rendition of Audited Accounts. ASUU was in default for five years.

“Another Section of Trade Dispute Act; The Essential Services Act Cap T9 permits the President to proscribe any erring Union involved in an illegal strike but all through the 2022 ASUU strike neither the President nor any of his Ministers in Education or Labour mooted such an idea because the Minister of Labour and Employment has done the right thing by the transmission of an Instrument on the issue to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication in accordance with Section 17 of TDA. 2004. So former President Buhari and his officials chose the path of the rule of Law in dealing with the unending strike when conciliation failed instead of an arm-twisting proscription as alleged by Aminu Goro.

“Aminu’s cock and bull narrative aimed at sweetening the ears of the audience including fellow outgoing members at the expense of other patriotic Nigerians including the former President should be discouraged by all including the outgoing Speaker. No such incident ever happened on the Executive side and hence the painted scenario never took place at all. This is by no means to say that the Outgoing Speaker and Chief of Staff designates to the President did not contribute to the resolution of the issue with ASUU. He did and passionately too like many others on the government side and the Traditional and Religious leaders. But the ultimate solution and relief came from the Judiciary. Judges of both the NICN and the Court of Appeal who interpreted the relevant sections of the Trade Dispute Act 2004 without fear or favour and ordered ASUU back to the classroom.”

He added that ASUU violated section 37 of the Trade Unions Acts CAP T14 that required the registered trade unions to submit their annual audited accounts and financial returns to the Registrar of Trade Unions on or before 1st June every year. Section 7 of the Acts gives the Registrar the power to cancel the certificate of registration of any trade union that deliberately contravened or continue to contravene any provision of the Act after receipt of a warning in writing from the Registrar.

“Warning in writing was duly issued to ASUU in 2019 and 2021 but deliberately and in order to leave them with a window for peaceful resolution this right was not exercise.”

News

Ex-Ogun NNPP Chairman, In Police Net Over Alleged Fraud

Published

9 hours ago

June 7, 2023

Editor

The embattled former Chairman of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), in Ogun State chapter, Olaposi Sunday Oginni, has been arrested by men of the Nigeria Police Force.

It was gathered that Oginni was arrested over allegations bordering on financial misappropriation, fraud, money laundering, among others.

Vanguard reliably gathered that the Oginni was arrested on Tuesday in Abeokuta, by a team of police detectives from Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Oginni was detained at Lafenwa Police Station, Abeokuta, before he was later whisked away to Police Headquarters, Abuja on Wednesday.

Oginni’s arrest followed a petition sent to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, by E.A Igwe & Co on behalf of the board of trustees and members of the party.

The petition with Ref EAV/MISC/05/1992/2023, was dated May 20, 2023 and titled “Call for the arrest of the culprits and to subject them to the full wrath of the law”.

The petitioner noted that the main culprit was guilty of money laundering.

The petition reads, “It is our further information that the culprits are also guilty of gunrunning, which most of them used during the just concluded election in some states, including Ogun. We are informed by our clients, and we verily believe same that the relevant facts-in-issue are as stated hereunder for your perusal.

“It is our instruction that these culprits are hell-bent and had conspired amongst themselves to deliberately destabilize and frustrate the activities of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) at the party secretariat situate and lying at No. 11 Mahatma Gandhi Street, Area 11, Garki Abuja for no justifiable reason save to project their evil plot by attacking the party secretariat.

“The main culprit is guilty of money laundering charges and will not stop in such a boastful act unless arrested and subjected to the full wrath of the law. It is our further information that the culprits are also guilty of gunrunning, which most of them used during the just concluded election in some states including Ogun State. The culprits are also fingered to be financing terrorism contrary to Section 25 of the Money Laundering Act”.

Confirming the arrest of Oginni, the Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, noted that a team of investigators came from Abuja on investigation activities and arrested the former NNPP chairman over unlawful possession.

She added that Oginni was detained in Lafenwa division and was taken to Abuja early this morning.

“A team of investigators came from Abuja Command on investigation activities and arrested the person you are asking about for unlawful possession. He was detained in Lafenwa division, and early in the morning, the suspect was taken to Abuja. The command did not arrest him, but detectives from Abuja Command, Lafenwa was the division where he was detained,” Odutola added.