SSANU rejects NUC moves to stop staff schools’ funding

Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. James Epoke
| credits: http://sieved.blogspot.com

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities has disagreed with the National Universities Commission over the Federal Government’s plan to stop funding universities’ staff school workers’ salaries from the national treasury.

The association which described the plan as a threat to 2,000 jobs within the Staff schools, said the move negates the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s philosophy to create three million new jobs.

At a joint protest which attracted SSANU members from the University of Calabar, University of Uyo and the Cross River University of Technology, the National President of the association, Mr. Samson Ugwoke, said members would resist any ploy by the government that contradicts an earlier agreement with the union in 2009.

In a protest letter delivered to the Vice-Chancellor, University of Calabar, Prof. James Epoke, SSANU accused NUC, the National Salaries and Wages Commission and the Federal Ministry of Education, of bias.

Ugwoke, who was represented by SSANU’s Vice President, South-East, Dr. Leku Ador, wondered why the Federal Government still funds Command schools.

He said, “Why single out the universities’ Staff schools for discrimination when the Federal Government still funds the Navy, Army, Air Force, police staff schools, among others?”

Ugwoke condemned and rejected NUC’s insinuation that universities’ staff schools ought to be funded from the internally generated revenue of the respective institutions.

He explained that Staff schools were the demonstration centres for the universities’ faculties of Education, adding that such centres should not be denied payment from the national treasury.

“We would not subscribe to any funding from the IGR because our agreement says the funding will come from the Treasury. Universities staff schools are part of the university culture and cannot be tampered with.

“The schools also serve as the laboratory and demonstration centre for the universities’ faculties of Education, as students fulfil the requirement of internship in the schools before graduation.”

He said the association decided to approach the vice-chancellor of UNICAL so that the message could be passed to the Federal Government

“We have come to you, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, to say that the directive from the Federal Government that Staff school teachers should not draw their emolument from the national treasury should not hold.

“The Staff school teachers were employed like any other staff of the universities. They have their appointment letters signed by registrars of the respective universities, like every one of us.

“We are also aware that funding of Staff schools is enshrined in the FG’s agreement with SSANU, NASU and ASUU of 2009. They cannot be now termed ghost workers,” he said.

In his response, the Vice-Chancellor of UNICAL, Prof. James Epoke, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Zana Akpagu, assured the workers of the management’s support in the struggle.

“We are all in this struggle together, because our children are all there. I assure you that your message would be conveyed to the VC, who is not on seat right now,” he said.

Earlier, the UNICAL Chairman of SSANU, David Egete, while faulting the Federal Government’s inability to keep to promises, vowed that the struggle would not end until justice prevailed.

Egete said, “The fight is no retreat, no surrender. The problem we have with the government is its inability to keep to agreement.”