…stakeholders told Government.
Stakeholders at AAU, Ekpoma have accused the Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sunny Adagbonyin of flouting the directive of the state government to pay all outstanding salaries and arrears of deductions immediately to pave way for ernest resumption of academic activities in the University.
The Secretary to the State government, Barr. Osarodion Ogie had in a tense government’s statement dated 8th of June announced the suspension of activities of staff unions in all state-owed tertiary institutions in the state with a mandate to the Management of the University to pay all outstanding salaries of workers with immediate effect.
Our correspondent who monitored the said directive of government in the university reported that as at Friday, 10th of June, the University Management has bluntly refused to pay the outstanding salaries of workers of the university as directed by government.
Stakeholders who commented yesterday on the development accused the Acting Vice Chancellor of gross disobedience of directive of the Visitor to the University, Mr.Godwin Obaseki.
They condemned the Acting Vice Chancellor’s arm-thirsty approach, blatant lies and deceptive propaganda to the effect that the university has resumed and lectures are in full swing when in actual fact the university is a deserted campus where administrative and academic activities are completely grounded.
They accused of telling lies to government by misrepresenting the actual state of things in the university.
The stakeholders however, condemned state government’s suspension of activities of workers’ unions in all tertiary institutions in the state and described the suspension directive as nullity in the face of the country’s Constitution, tyrannical and anti-democratic.
Our reporter reported that the various staff unions in the University are not deterred by the suspension directive.
They insisted that there is no going back on the strike till its suspension by their national leaderships and the payment of all outstanding salaries and more than 17 months arrears of check-off dues and other sundry deductions.
They urged the state government to be wary by the approach being deplored by the Acting Vice Chancellor and maintained that his approach like that of the government is a veritable sign that the crisis is just about to begin thereby putting the students’ education in jeopardy.
Let the Acting Vice Chancellor be sincere to address the ragging industrial issues such as the more than 350 staff University that had their salaries stopped on the arbitrary order and directive of the University’s Special Intervention Team without any specific reason, explanation, query or existing disciplinary action against the affected staff and the payment of outstanding emoluments of workers.
“The present bravado of the Acting Vice Chancellor laced with arrogance, primitive show and display of administrative power will only help to keep the students at home for long than necessary”, they said.
Meanwhile, our reporter reported that the various staff unions of the university have moved their activities and presence out of the university’s campus and premises apparently to avoid the wrath or hammer of government over the suspension directive.
For example, the University Chapters’ of the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have moved their join meeting scheduled for this week out of the university’s premises to a private venue in town.
To the workers (academic and non-academic), it is no retreat, no surrender and the reality on the University’s is suggestive of the fact that the university is far from genuine resumption of teaching and other activities. Let students not be deceived.