…. Agrees to release N23bn Earned Allowances to
ASUU
The Federal Government Thursday said that the request of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that federal
universities be exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
will not be granted.
The government however agreed to release the balance of
N23billion Earned Allowances to the striking lecturers.
Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, stated this in Abuja at a
meeting with the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and
TETFUND.
Adamu said that the Ministry of Finance has promised to
undertake a forensic audit of the N30billion allowance earlier
released to the lecturers, bringing the total to N53billion.
The Minister said: “They (lecturers) asked for N23billion to be
paid. But we said the condition for that N23billion to be released
was for them to account for the N30billion they had taken, which is
a total of N53billion. And they were not able to account for
it.
“The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit from the
ministry. We agreed that the result will be known in six months.
During that six months, government undertook to be paying them
N1.5billion each month during the time they are waiting for
this.”
The Minister added that the Ministry of Finance has already
approved the release of the funds but not yet cash backed.
“Probably, by Monday, they will be able to receive the cheque.
And we will do forensic audit on the entire N53billion,” Adamu
said
ASUU, an umbrella body of all university lecturers in the
country, declared an indefinite strike action over Federal
Government’s failure to fulfill the 2009/2013 Agreement made with
the Union.
Issues in involved in the agreement included: funding for the
revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances,
registration of Nigerian universities pension management company,
university staff school, fictionalisation and non-payment of
salaries among others.
Adamu who expressed optimism that the industrial action would be
called off within the next one week, insisted that the request for
TSA exemption would not be granted.
He said: “There are other issues which we didn’t agree. And that
was their request to be taken out of TSA. I told them that it is
not possible because this is a new policy and government is not
going to change it for anyone”.
On the registration of Nigerian universities pension Management
Company, the minister said it would be resolved with the Pension
Commission in the next one week.
On the non-payment of salaries, Adamu attributed it to the
decision of federal universities to illegally recruit staff,
without recourse to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel
Information System (IPPIS).
The situation, he said, has partially affected government’s
effort to eliminate thousands of ghost workers through thorough
personnel verification exercise and salary payment process.
He said, “For instance, a university can just decide to go and
recruit 50 people. And IPPIS is not aware. So, what they are going
to get is they are going to get the money they got last month. And
it will not be sufficient for them. They normally spread it among
the entire staff. Let’s say they pay 70 percent to 80 percent but
that is their fault. So, institutions, we said, must now stop doing
that. And they accepted.”
Chairman of the committee, Jibrin Barau, expressed confidence
that the minister would resolve the issues with the striking
lecturers as soon as possible.
Barau pleaded with the lecturers to call off the strike while
negotiation continues.
The Union was not represented at the meeting.
…. Agrees to release N23bn Earned Allowances to
ASUU
The Federal Government Thursday said that the request of the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that federal
universities be exempted from the Treasury Single Account (TSA)
will not be granted.
The government however agreed to release the balance of
N23billion Earned Allowances to the striking lecturers.
Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, stated this in Abuja at a
meeting with the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and
TETFUND.
Adamu said that the Ministry of Finance has promised to
undertake a forensic audit of the N30billion allowance earlier
released to the lecturers, bringing the total to N53billion.
The Minister said: “They (lecturers) asked for N23billion to be
paid. But we said the condition for that N23billion to be released
was for them to account for the N30billion they had taken, which is
a total of N53billion. And they were not able to account for
it.
“The Minister of Finance undertook to do the audit from the
ministry. We agreed that the result will be known in six months.
During that six months, government undertook to be paying them
N1.5billion each month during the time they are waiting for
this.”
The Minister added that the Ministry of Finance has already
approved the release of the funds but not yet cash backed.
“Probably, by Monday, they will be able to receive the cheque.
And we will do forensic audit on the entire N53billion,” Adamu
said
ASUU, an umbrella body of all university lecturers in the
country, declared an indefinite strike action over Federal
Government’s failure to fulfill the 2009/2013 Agreement made with
the Union.
Issues in involved in the agreement included: funding for the
revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances,
registration of Nigerian universities pension management company,
university staff school, fictionalisation and non-payment of
salaries among others.
Adamu who expressed optimism that the industrial action would be
called off within the next one week, insisted that the request for
TSA exemption would not be granted.
He said: “There are other issues which we didn’t agree. And that
was their request to be taken out of TSA. I told them that it is
not possible because this is a new policy and government is not
going to change it for anyone”.
On the registration of Nigerian universities pension Management
Company, the minister said it would be resolved with the Pension
Commission in the next one week.
On the non-payment of salaries, Adamu attributed it to the
decision of federal universities to illegally recruit staff,
without recourse to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel
Information System (IPPIS).
The situation, he said, has partially affected government’s
effort to eliminate thousands of ghost workers through thorough
personnel verification exercise and salary payment process.
He said, “For instance, a university can just decide to go and
recruit 50 people. And IPPIS is not aware. So, what they are going
to get is they are going to get the money they got last month. And
it will not be sufficient for them. They normally spread it among
the entire staff. Let’s say they pay 70 percent to 80 percent but
that is their fault. So, institutions, we said, must now stop doing
that. And they accepted.”
Chairman of the committee, Jibrin Barau, expressed confidence
that the minister would resolve the issues with the striking
lecturers as soon as possible.
Barau pleaded with the lecturers to call off the strike while
negotiation continues.
The Union was not represented at the meeting.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/asuu-strike-varsities-wont-be-exempted-from-tsa-fg-insists/