- Ondo Govt is abusing our rights – ASUU
- As Institutions Management Own N1Billion Cooperative Deductions
Indications have surfaced that staff unions in all the Ondo State-owned universities may force the managements of their universities to bow to the alleged pressure of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to obtain loans from banks to enable them pay the backlog of salaries of workers owned by the state government.
Recall that Governor Akeredolu had last week given a voiced order to the managements of all the tertiary institutions in the state to approach banks for loans to pay salaries of workers.
In the interim, only the management of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, had, regardless of the huge interest on the banks loan, heeded the governors directive to secure the loan, using the polytechnic as collateral to pay three months out of the seven-month salaries owned the workers, while the management of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; and University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, are still considering the option.
Starnews Nigeria reports that a unionist in OSUSTECH who spoke to newsmen under the condition of privacy said all things being equal, the union may force the management to concede to the governor’s directive.
According to the unionist, “As it is now, we may ask the management to take the loan. We are suffering. Four months without salary is worrisome. Staff of a university turning to beggars on the street before they can eat. It is as bad as that. Governor Akeredolu is insensitive to things that matter and we are not going to wait and allow things to go on like this.”
The Secretary of the senior staff union in AAUA, Mr. Tayo Ogungbeni was quoted on the official WhatsAPP medium of the union to have requested the opinion of members of the union whether to consider the loan option.
Ogungbeni said: “we have contacted our sisters’ Unions at OSUSTECH and UNIMED and they declared that they have not considered the Governor’s directive. It was, however, revealed that RUGIPO has collected the loans with the help of the Chairman of the Governing Council.”
The Secretary, who maintained that the directive could be a rumour since there has been no document backing it, said: “Our own Branch Executive Council wishes to seek the opinion of Congress on whether to press for the collection of bank loan or not. We should keep in mind the pros and cons of collection of Bank loan, please.”
On the present status of salary payment, he said: “the BEC met today to review series of issues regarding the unwanted delay of payment of salaries to our members for the last four months. We wish to authoritatively inform you that 70% salary shall be paid before the end of this week while, another one may be paid before the forthcoming gubernatorial election on 10th October 2020, depending on what comes to the university from the Ondo State government.”
Ogungbeni however cautioned members to spend wisely as its not certain when the government would give adequate subvention to the university to enable it to pay full salary. The backlog of salary of the university is four months.
In their reactions, members of AAUA senior staff union condemned the option of loan and described the Governors promise to pay 70 percent of June salary before October 10 election as political.
Majority of the members also blame the precarious status of the university on the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun who was said to have ignored all recommended business ideas that could bring funds to the university, and yet over bloated the staff strength of the university with kinsfolks and acquaintances.
In contrast to Ogungbeni’s claims that the staff will be paid 70% of June salary, a source in the Bursary unit of AAUA confirmed to our reporter that as at today (September 30) no funds have been released to the university. She (the source) said: “I will rather advise our staff not to rely on the empty promises of the government. As I speak to you now, no money has been released to us. I don’t know the magic the management will use to pay the promised 70 percent of June salary this week.”
In a statement, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), AAUA branch, Dr. Simon Ehiabhi, described the delay in the payment of workers’ salary as a gross abuse of the workers’ right.
Ehiabhi said: “A worker’s salary is not a privilege but earned entitlement as a matter of right. Therefore, any delay in the payment of salaries amounts to gross abuse of the worker’s right.
He explained that both the Chairman of Council, Mr. Tunji Abayomi and the Ag. Vice Chancellor, Prof. Gbenga Ige, have always been promising that the Governor Akeredolu-led government will release the backlog of subventions meant for the university but the promises remained unfulfilled.
In the same vein, an insider at UNIMED confirmed that the union has rejected the proposal of the governor, describing the proposal as shameful and dereliction duty on the part of Gov. Akeredolu.
The source said: “Why is the governor who is owning us is also asking us to obtain loans to pay ourselves? Does that sound logical? The Governor should rather approach banks in the name of Ondo State Government to obtain the loan and then pay us our four-month salaries. I suspect the governor wanting to plunge all the tertiary institutions in the state into debt and destruction. And here in OSUSTECH, we will not allow that to happen.”
Meanwhile, managements of all the state-owned tertiary institutions are owning their respective Staff Cooperative Societies about N1 billion naira, a source at the Ondo State Cooperative Services, has confirmed to newsman in Akure.
The source said: “We have received many complaints from all the existing cooperative societies in the higher institutions in the state that their managements have failed to remit their staff’s monthly deductions to the treasuries of the societies. Some institutions are owning more than 12 months and some own eight months. In RUGIPO it is about N400 million, in AAUA it is about N300 million, in OSUSTECH it is about N150 million and in UNIMED it is about N100 million.
“We have made several efforts to make the institutions pay but all our efforts have been fruitless. Managements of the higher institution confirmed to us that the Ondo State government has reduced their subventions by 40 percent, while the remaining 60 percent are not regular, thereby making it difficult to pay salaries alongside cooperatives deductions. We have suggested to the leaders of the societies to consider taking legal actions against their managements.”
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