ASUU Lament: We Are The Worst Paid In The World – ASUU

ASUU Lament: We Are The Worst Paid In The World – ASUU

Demand the immediate release of the withheld third party deduction

From Muh’d Shafi’u Saleh

The Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) Modibbo Adama University (MAU) Yola, branch, lamented that the universities Professors, are the lowest paid in the world Academia.

The leader of the branch El-Maude Gambo Jibreel, testified this at a press briefing in Yola on Thursday, he said “our members have been on the same salary for more than 15 years, the last time our salaries were reviewed was in 2009.

“Lecturers in Nigeria are the least paid in Africa not to talk of the global average, we are the worst paid in the world, as a professor at bar earns less than $300 per month at the current rate of N1,489 per dollar in a Month”

“In 2023 the FGN budgeted N50 billion for the payment of part of the backlog of our members’ EAA and promised to mainstream the EAA into our salaries. It is important to note that the money was not enough to pay all of the backlog. Unfortunately, that has not seen the light of day.

“The failure of the federal and state governments to mainstream EAA into the salaries as of 2022, as contained in the 2020 MoA between ASUU and FGN, is a clear manifestation of the government’s bad intentions towards our members and the educational sector in Nigeria” he said.

Meanwhile the ASUU branch Yola expressed there concern that many people do not understand that the strike that it has been doing for years is not understood, said “there is need for the public to understand what the struggle of ASUU is all about and join hands with ASUU to save the educational sector in Nigeria and place Nigeria on the path to development.

“The exclusive wisdom behind 2022 eight months’ strike action was to make the FGN implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) of 7th February, 2019 which our Union and FGN agreed upon without any duress.

“As a Union, we were and still not demanding the government to do anything new but the implementation of what we agreed upon in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 with FGN” he said.

ASUU also lamented the fact that the federal government’s budget for the country’s universities does not go into the university’s account saying that “the budgetary allocation to education has been so disappointing, to worsen the situation, only a small fraction of what is budgeted for is actually released to universities.

“In the last budgetary exercise, the sum of 170 billion was earmarked as revitalization fund in the budget, unfortunately, the money has not reached the universities, the level of decay in the infrastructure in the public universities in Nigeria can better be imagined” he said.

Speaking about the agreement signed by ASUU with the government in 2009, El-Maude said “for the avoidance of doubts, in the years 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, the 2009 agreement was renegotiated with the government’s representatives, Dr. Wale Babalakin, Prof. Munzali Jubril, and the late Prof. Nimi Briggs, heading the government’s teams in that order.

“The Nimi Briggs Committee concluded the renegotiation with the Union, awaiting the government’s approbation. Government has remained silent over the document up to this moment.

“This has demoralized our members so much such that the morale of academic staff in public universities in Nigeria is at its lowest level now. Our members have been on the same salary for more than 15 years.

“Our members have already covered the period lost during the strike and are now preparing to by September 2024 commence 2024/2025 session which by implications means no session was skipped. We call on the FGN to pay our members their withheld salaries.

The Non-remittance of third party deductions says “Part of our members’ salaries is with the government. Recall our members received their withheld salaries for four (4) months but third party deductions have not been released. This is unfair, illegal and barbaric. We demand the immediate release of the withheld third party deductions.

He recall that the FGN challenged it to come up with alternative solution to the ineffective, inefficient, weak, fraudulent and IMF/World Bank imposed IPPIS.

He said “the IMF/World Bank ideology is aimed at bastardizing our educational system and crippling the future of the Nigerian youths. As a Union, we took up the challenge and came up with UTAS which by the NITDA’s Assessment scored 94% during the first test and 97% during the review but the FGN is foot-dragging on implementing it.

The union also called on people, most especially those who are passionate about national development, to join hands to bring back the glory of the country.

“our union is in a patriotic struggle to reposition the Nigerian university system. As a consequence, we are calling on all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians, the media, labour movement, students’ organizations, and civil society to join forces with ASUU in ensuring we safeguard the future of our dear Country.