The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has debunked the claim of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, that ₦52.12billion was given to the union.
It described the claim as ‘deceptive, misleading and aimed at smearing the image of our Union and members in the public eye’.
Addressing the press on Wednesday, the Kano Zonal Coordinator of the union, Comrade Abdulkadir Muhammad, said only ₦22.17 billion was released as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) out of which only 75% (N16.6bn) was released to members of the union while the remaining 25% was for other sister unions.
He said the union is not happy with the government’s effort to trivialise its campaign and make it look as if it was all about money.
Read Also: We Won’t Accept Pleas To Cancel Planned Strike – ASUU
He added that signing the reached agreement was the most important to help salvage the university system in the country.
‘For the record, the ₦30billion out of which ₦20billion was released for revitalization was given to university managements to address infrastructural decay on our campuses; no single kobo was given to any member of ASUU (out of this).’
‘It is also pertinent for the public to note that even the ₦22.17billion EAA that was paid, only 75 percent was due to our members while the remaining 25 percent was given to other sister unions.
‘We therefore call on the Minister to always put issues in proper perspective and desist from playing dicey politics with serious national matter like university education of the future leaders of our beloved country,’ he said.
The Union also called on governments at all level to do the needful to address the ravaging insecurity, banditry, kidnappings and incessant killings of innocent Nigerians.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK