Nationnewslead reports that The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) branch, has cried out over possible collapse of the institution.
It said there was no reason to reduce budgetary allocation to the institution when the academic workers increased from 382 in the 2015/2016 academic session to 456, with 45 of them being professors and the academic programmes increased from 61 to 63.
Rising from its congress at the weekend, the AAUA ASUU said it was worrisome that the workers had been on amputated net salaries for the past three years, while four months salaries were yet to be paid.
Branch chairman of the institution Dr. Simon Ehiabhi, who spoke to reporters on the outcome of the meeting, called for financial intervention and increased funding (subvention) by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
He said the monthly subvention to the institution had been reduced to N148million monthly from the N212.5million it received in the 2015/2016 academic session.
Ehiabhi said the drop in the monthly subvention was negatively affecting the capacity of the institution to discharge its responsibilities, including prompt payment of salaries and release of union and cooperative deductions.
He accused the university of owing ASUU-AAUA over N12million as members’ check-off dues, while the Academic Staff Cooperative Multipurpose Society (ASCMS) was being owned over N100million, which were deductions from academic workers’ salaries.
According to him, “as a result of non-release of the check-off dues, it has become extremely difficult for the unions to carry out statutory functions to members in particular and the public, while the ASCMS is also going through challenges in promptly meeting the financial needs of its members.
“Despite that AAUA had been rated as the best state university in Nigeria on several occasions and also in the 2020 webometrics ranking due to the commitment and dedication of workers to the goals of university education, it is unfortunate that the same members of staff are being subjected to poverty as a result of non-payment of salaries as and when due.
“The once vibrant university campus is now full of workers with sad faces, wallowing in pains, sickness, deprivation, want and frustration.
“The union urges the state government, as a matter of urgency, to bail the university out of its current financial predicament, as a short term measure, in order for the university to pay outstanding salaries of July, August, September and October 2020 and also the 10 months outstanding union and cooperative deductions in order to avoid imminent crisis and industrial disharmony. As a long-term measure, the budgetary allocation (subvention) to Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko should be increased to be able to accommodate workers’ wage bills and other university activities.”
