The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has advised the Federal Government to route the recently approved N50 billion Earned Allowances through universities, not the unions themselves.
Speaking on the matter in Abuja, SSANU’s National President, Comrade Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim, noted that funds meant for staff allowances should be handled by the universities, which are in a better position to determine how payments are allocated based on actual roles and responsibilities.
He also warned the government against showing favouritism towards any particular union, stating that such actions could reignite industrial unrest on campuses.
According to Ibrahim, universities have internal mechanisms to manage the distribution of allowances among both academic and non-academic staff. He argued that sending funds directly to unions may lead to complications and further deepen mistrust among the various university-based associations.
“We are not in charge of coming up with any template, and as a matter of showing seriousness on the part of government, no union should be given a dime in terms of money going into … but moneys should be disbursed to universities,” he said.
The Federal Government had earlier announced the approval of N50 billion in Earned Allowances for staff in public universities.
The fund is meant to benefit four unions: the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), SSANU, the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU). However, both ASUU and SSANU have denied receiving any payment so far.
Comrade Ibrahim clarified that while there have been reports that the funds were released, what seems more accurate is that approval has been granted. “We have heard that moneys have been released, but I think for want of a better word, it should have been said that approval has been granted for its release… we have not seen yet, but we are optimistic.”
He further noted that universities have begun submitting staff data to the National Universities Commission (NUC), which will guide the actual disbursement process. “These universities are now collating. So, we are hopeful that once that is done, the money will be released.”
In the past, there have been accusations that the government favoured academic unions, especially ASUU, by giving them a larger share of Earned Allowances. This, Ibrahim warned, must be avoided this time around if peace is to be maintained across the university system.
“Payment should be determined based on the personnel budget of every university,” he added, noting that universities already have committees in place to handle such distributions fairly.
