Abisola PPCP: Buhari Sacks 2,000 University
Workers -
Punch
The Senior Staff Association of the Nigerian
Universities has called for an indefinite strike on
December 24, 2015 to protest a recent decision
of
the Federal Government to sack 2,000 university
workers across the country by January, 2016.
The National President of SSANU, Mr. Samson
Ugwoke, said during a press briefing in Abuja on
Friday that the National Salaries, Income and
Wages Commission, and the National Universities
Commission had written letters of termination to
2,000 members of staff of the universities.
Ugwoke said that the senior staff union of the
universities had already dispatched letters to the
Ministry of Education, the NUC and the National
Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to
withdraw the letters of termination issued to
varsity
workers of the University of Ilorin, Federal
University of Technology, Akure, Usman Dan
Fodio
University, Sokoto and others.
He said that SSANU also urged the Education
Ministry and the other agencies to ensure
immediate withdrawal of similar letters to vice
chancellors to terminate the appointment of
personnel of university staff primary schools.
He said the letter dated December 17, 2015 also
copied President Muhammadu Buhari, the
President of Senate, Bukola Saraki, the Speaker
of
the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu
Dogara,
the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris
Ngige and others.
Ugwoke added that the 2,000 workers affected in
the planned retrenchment exercise were drawn
from 31 universities and were employed by the
councils of the various institutions to make the
requisite contribution to educational development
in the institutions and the society over the years.
The SSANU leader noted that the directive to
sack
the workers who are expected to leave service in
January 2016 was contained in a circular said to
have been written and signed by a Deputy
Director
in the Ministry of Education, Mr. E.O Fayemi, on
behalf of the minister.
He stated further that the circular dated April 21,
2015, was attached with a memorandum and
report from the National Salaries, Income and
Wages Commission dated March 2014 and
February 2014 respectively.
According to him, the commission responded to
the circular by directing the removal of personnel
of staff schools and other institutions affiliated
to
the universities from the payroll.
He said, “The implementation of this directive
would be a gross violation and breach of the
SSANU/FGN 2009 Agreement, which explicitly
stated that the University shall bear full capital
and
recurrent cost of University Staff primary
schools.
“It is further shocking to note that till date, the
Federal Ministry of Defence still funds the capital
and recurrent costs of over 100 Army Children
Schools, Command Children Schools, Navy
Primary
Schools and Air Force Schools; while the
Ministry
of Police Affairs still funds its Police Children
Schools, all from the Federal Treasury.
“We are surprised that an agency of government,
the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages
Commission, could continue with this callous,
wicked, insensitive and ill-intentioned agenda,
despite our calls, letters, press releases and
publications on the issue.
“With the advent of the administration of
President
Muhammadu Buhari, we had written series of
public and confidential letters on same with no
positive response.”
He said that 90 per cent of the pupils of the
university staff schools were children of the staff
of
the institutions stressing that the schools were
established alongside other academic
components
of the universities in some cases.
The unionist said SSANU had to give the
December
24, 2015 deadline to the Federal Government as
part of the efforts to prevent the over 2000
workers
of the universities from being sacked.
Several efforts by Saturday PUNCH to get the
response of ASUU National President, Dr. Nasir
Fagge, was resisted because he said, “I am out
of
the country and you don’t expect me to answer
you from abroad.”
Also when contacted, the Special Assistant
(Media)
to the Minister of State for Education, Anthony
Akuneme, directed our correspondent to the
office
of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu.
But several calls and SMS to the Assistant
Director
of Press in the Education Ministry, Abdul Onu,
were
not replied.
http://www.punchng.com/buhari-sacks-2000

Make them rethink before they embark on it o........cos this government no dey smile o.........many people are outside there waiting to take their job.

welcome to change.
I very sure some of these works fought tooth and nail for Buhari to emerge as president of Nigeria, not minding the consequences of a semi-Literate leader governing Nigeria at this century.