The Inter University Centres have called on the Federal Government to consider the inclusion of its members in the disbursement of earned allowances for Universities.
They made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja through the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staffs of Universities (NASU).
Mr Ademola Olorunsuyi, the Chairman SSANU, National Mathematical Center (NMC), said that recently N25 billion among others was released by the Federal Government to universities and inter university centres as payment for earned allowances.
“But inter university Centres which NMC is part of were not paid the earned allowance.
“We want to express our displeasure in the exclusion of inter university centers from the disbursement of earned allowances by the Federal Government.
“You will recall that N25 billion was released by the FG to the universities and inter university centers as payment for earned allowance but to our greatest dismay we were not paid the earned allowance.
“The last N30 billion that was disbursed in August 2013, we were captured and were paid, but the N23 billion, N8 billion and the N25 billion released recently to universities and the inter university centres we were not paid,” he said.
According to him, the inter university centres include the National Mathematical Centre, Abuja, the Nigerian French Village in Badagry, the Nigeria Arabic Language Village in Maiduguri and the Nigerian Institute of Language in Aba.
He also said that the four inter university centres were established by government as tertiary institutions with the mandate of playing supportive, complementary and consultative roles to the universities and other tertiary institutions.
He, however, said that the Chief Executive Officers of the four inter university centres had on Feb. 14 written to the minister of education pleading that the staff of these centers should be included in the payment of earned allowances.
“We are here demanding that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Education and National Universities Commission (NUC) should as a matter of urgency include the inter university centers in the disbursement of earned allowances.”
Similarly, Mr Kasimu Mohammed, Chairman NASU, NMC chapter, said that NMC members of the union have the same condition of service with their counterparts in the university system.
Mohammed also said that the appointments of the directors of the inter university centres were equivalent to that of the Vice Chancellors in the universities.
“So the Minister of Education through the NUC should not exclude the inter university centres in the disbursement of earned allowances, because it is our legitimate right.
“We provide services that are equivalent to what our colleagues in the university system provide, so we should not be treated as second citizens in this regard.”
The leadership of the unions also kicked against the 80 to 20 per cent sharing formula of 2012 to 2016 funds disbursed by the Federal Government to the universities. (NAN)
