All staff unions in the University of Ibadan on Friday, declared that the system in the ivory tower has been crippled following the shortfall in federal allocations to the school since December 2015.
Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Wale Akinremi, stated this on behalf of the unions while addressing journalists at the NISER park, opposite the institution’s Senate building saying the “University of Ibadan is in a very critical situation.”
Akinremi declared that all staff of the university had exhausted their goodwill in sustaining their families without their full compliments since the shortfall experience began in December 2015.
According to him, “since December 2015, that was the first time we had the challenge of shortfall in federal allocation. You can imagine the whole of University of Ibadan not getting over N301 million in a month. That was the first month in office of the present vice chancellor and we thought over time, this thing would be corrected.
“Every month since then, we’ve been getting less than what we should get from the Federal Government for payment of salaries and maintenance of the university. This is not only about the workers; it is about the institution and we have a legacy, a heritage we think we should do our best to consistently and almost perfectly maintain.
“But half a year, we have been running the university somehow and the workers have not been paid their salaries. Around march, we made known our intention but we had a letter from the Committee of Vice Chancellors that things would be sorted out, and out of respect and understanding, we agreed on what they told us.”
Akinremi further stated that the most worrisome aspect of the situation is that there is no communication from any government quarters, stating reasons for the shortfall.
“Why are we having shortfalls? There is no letter to date from the Federal Government on why they are paying us less than what we deserve. Some few weeks ago, at a meeting, our bursar told us that he was invited to come and collect the arrears of the shortfalls in Abuja. So everybody expected that when he came back that the money would be paid. We were so hopeful.
“Sad enough, when the money came, not only that they did not pay us the arrears of the shortfalls, again they paid us less than what we should get from the Federal Government. This is causing untold hardship, it is causing serious pressure on the system, union leaders, members of the community, workforce, there is also serious pressure on the administrator.
“How do we run our first university? For crying out loud, is this how we’re going to treat our first born? It is unfair. What we are getting is far less than what we should get. Families are in financial crisis, co-operative societies cannot work anymore. You can’t go to any co-operative now and get any help.
“The way UI is now, we are being pushed to the wall already. There is nothing working here anymore. For six months, we’ve been paid what we call ‘amputated salaries’. Nobody collects what he should get, the management cannot afford what they should do.
“There is the need for the Federal Government to come to the aid of this university. If there is something that they think they know about UI, we will all cooperate with them. If there is an issue, they should let us know. If you have a letter, comment or a report from anywhere, let us know,” he said.
“From a bit that we know, the workforce of the University of Ibadan is very large in terms of the age of the institution. Because of the assignment and the age of the institution, we have the highest number of Professors in Nigeria, so our wage bill will be higher than that of smaller universities. Should we kill those senior Professors who had worked for this country because we cannot afford to pay them?. Nobody is even telling us that they cannot afford to pay. You just throw something at us at the end of the month.
“The management cannot speak, we are not speaking for them but we are all aware that there is a great challenge here.
“Six month of all these in the University of Ibadan, no light, sanitation is poor. there is the need to call the attention of the whole world to this, though we are not strike trigger happy university in University of Ibadan. In some places, they would have closed down the university by now, but we are just being on peaceful protest. When we continue to close the university every now and then, how do we get ranked as an institution of learning. How do we get collaboration? we’re quite aware of that and that is why we’re handling it this way.
“But it will get to a place where a hungry becomes an angry man or even a mad man. So, we’re pleading to the Federal Government to please look into it. If it is not happening to other Federal Universities, it should not happen to UI at all. What is our crime, what have we done wrong?
“We’re suffering in UI, nothing is working here. You cannot stay in your office for more than two hours before you get suffocated. UI is already crippled. That is the truth, but it is not for the management to carry placards, we as unions have a responsibility to let the world know the true picture of things.
“People should help us talk to the Federal Government and safe University. We are not asking for anything special but what belongs to UI as you have been given to other universities. Please pay us and if the Federal Government think it is having any issue with us, come and speak to us in the open.
“It is getting out of hand, University of Ibadan need to be treated fairly. If the government do not understand this and rate us as others, you’re punishing us,” the SSANU chairman stated.
Akinremi though was hopeful in expecting a fruitful disposition from the trip of their vice chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka who is currently in Abuja.
When asked if the workers will go on strike if the VC does not come with a ‘favourable’ report from Abuja, he said “we pray the positive happens, but whatever, we will consult before we take further steps.”
-Emmanuel Ikechukwu
