The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), on Thursday staged a protest calling on the Federal Government to resolve the misunderstanding over staff of university primary schools to avert a looming nationwide strike.
The protest march was attended by university workers drawn from Nnamdi Azikwe University Awka, Ebonyi State University, Federal University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State University and Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Briefing journalists after the protest march at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, by members of the SSANU South-East, the zonal Vice-President, Mr. Leku Ador said “any attempt to remove university staff primary schools from the pay roll of universities shall definitely throw the hitherto peaceful university system in Nigeria to another round of avoidable labour crisis.
“We call on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the populist Government of Change to ignore the antics of those who want to negatively change the status of university staff schools.
“SSANU wishes to reiterate its earlier call for the removal of Prof Julius Okojie, NUC chairman as well as thorough investigations of Mr Ebenzer of federal ministry of education and Chief R.O Egbule of National Salaries and Wages Commission for their roles in this matter”.
The protesters numbering about 200 had placards with inscriptions such as “The staff of university primary schools are not ghost workers”, “federal ministry of education should stop threatening our staff of primary schools”, FG should respect its 2009 agreement with SSANU”, “NUC chairman should resign because he has failed Nigerian Universities”.
Ado, who represented the national chairman of SSANU, Mr Samson Ugwuoke said that “evidence abounds that ministry of defense still fund the capital and recurrent cost of over hundred army children schools, command schools, Air force and Navy primary schools, while ministry of police affairs funds police children and secondary schools from the treasury.
“One, therefore, wonders the basis of focusing attention on only twenty four university staff primary schools in the country.
“National executives of SSANU during its meeting on June 6, described attempt to remove university staff primary schools from university payroll as repugnant, in bad taste and offensive to the establishment of universities.
“The implementation of such directive will not only run contrary to the creation of universities but will undermine the prevailing industrial peace in universities in the country”, he said.
Ugwuoke urged government to respect 2008 FGN/SSANU agreement which explicitly stated that the university should bear full capital and recurrent costs of university primary schools.
“SSANU wish to remind Nigerians of 2009 FGN/SSANU agreement which clearly states among other things, that the recurrent and capital expenditure of staff primary schools in the country is the responsibility of government.
“Government should respect the 2009 agreement it signed with SSANU, as implementing that directive issued on 21st April 2015 by federal ministry of Education will amount to violating part of that agreement”, he added.
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