ASUU raises concern over salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed concern over the continuous release of incomplete salaries to public universities.

The Yola zone of the union, which comprise Adamawa State Univerisity, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Taraba State University, University of Maiduguri and Yobe State University, raised the concern in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“The Yola zone of ASUU frowns at the current posture of government over the release of incomplete salaries to public universities,” read the statement signed by Musa Abdullahi, leader of the zone.

“This ugly trend, which reared its head in November 2015, has continued unabated by the federal government.”

The statement said the development would compel universities to resort to commercial ventures to augment shortfall thereby commercialising university education.

“Should Nigerian public universities be coerced to begin to raise revenue from within to pay salaries that will be the end of the road for the education of the children of the Nigerian masses,” he said.

“Any further shortfall in salary payment will not be accepted by the union and should the situation persist, then we are not in a position to guarantee industrial harmony in days come.”

He called on government to pay the outstanding Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) to deserving university staff, adding that the arrears of the allowances had accumulated for seven years.

While announcing the union resolved to quit contributory pension scheme, Abdullahi said ASUU planned to establish its own pension company to be known as Nigerian Universities Pension Company (NUPENCO).