The Academic Staff Union of Universities of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, has explained why it stayed away from the protest held on Tuesday by the Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions of the university.
The ASUU, in a statement released on Tuesday by its Chairman, Yunusa Ganiyu, said that the management of the university was already handling the issues involved with all sincerity and best intentions, and therefore, rather than protest, the option of dialogue should be embraced to smooth out any other grey areas.
The union stated that while every union has the right to express grievances, such expressions must, however, be based on facts and institutional realities, but it must also be acknowledged that the university administration has not neglected its obligations to staff.
The union explained that the issues at stake revolve around the cancellation of the two-day off policy introduced at the height of the subsidy removal from petroleum products, sometimes last year, September, as well as the irregular remittance of the pensions of the university’s workers.
The union added that “In response to the prevailing economic challenges and the hardship caused by subsidy removal, the university administration, following internal consultations with staff unions, implemented targeted interventions to support all categories of workers:
“A special allowance was approved and paid to all staff to cushion the effects of rising transport and living costs”
The university lecturers also explained that the management has worked out the modalities for clearing the backlog of pension arrears it met on the ground several years ago, following extensive consultation with all staff unions.
Additionally, the university was also said to have maintained consistent payment of contributory pension by regularly deducting employees’ contributions and remitting the university’s employer component as required by law.
It stated further that, recently, a university-wide meeting was held with staff on pension matters where updates were provided, and a clear roadmap was charted on the payment of outstanding pension obligations.
This renewed commitment, ASUU said, underscores the seriousness of the Administration in addressing pension concerns within the limit of available resources.
It maintained further that Ayodeji Agboola’s administration has remained open to dialogue and consultation with all staff unions on welfare-related issues, ensuring that decisions are taken with a full understanding of existing fiscal constraints, adding that “these are not the actions of an indifferent management but of one striving to combine fiscal prudence with human sensitivity”.
On the two-day off policy, the union stated that the peculiar demands of academic calendars, examinations, research supervision, and essential services of the university make it impractical to implement the policy wholesale without disrupting core functions.
ASUU explained that, “It is also important to note that the State Government supported the recent directive of the University Council to discontinue the policy in the University system, considering the nature of academic operations and the need for institutional stability”
It disclosed further that the university management has equally adopted other compensatory welfare measures to ease the burden on staff without compromising academic continuity.
The union stated that as intellectual leaders, academics have a moral and institutional duty to promote peace, understanding, and balance in times of tension.
It therefore demanded that the university community champion reasoned dialogue and responsible conduct that safeguard the stability of the institution.
The union said that, “The strength of our advocacy for better welfare lies in our unwavering commitment to duty, discipline, and academic excellence. When the University system is stable, every staff category benefits from the atmosphere of cooperation and progress”.
Meanwhile, the leadership of both SSANU and NASU during the protest on Tuesday accused ASUU of taking sides with the management of the university against the interests of the non-academic staff.
The Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of SSANU and NASU, Adedeji Lamina, said that the statement of ASUU on the decision of the non-academics to vent their dissatisfaction over the insensitivity of the university’s leadership “only goes to show that the management has polarised the unions using divide and rule tactics, which is wrong”.
Lamina wondered when ASUU became the spokesperson of the university’s management, saying that “And this is why we are calling on Gov Dapo Abiodun to please set up a visitation panel to visit the university and address this imbalance and other injustice being perpetrated by the leadership of the institution”.
