THE ACADEMIC Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) Sokoto State, has urged the state government to constitute Governing Council for Shehu Shagari University of Education (SSUE).
The union made the call in a joint press conference organised by ASUU, Sokoto State University (SSU) and SSUE chapters on Wednesday in Sokoto.
Addressing Journalists, Dr Bello Musa, Chairperson of ASUU-SSU, and Dr Shamsu Kabiru, the Chairperson of ASUU-SSUE, said SSUE had been operating without a Governing Council since its establishment in 2023.
A situation the union described as a breach that violated the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2003 and Sokoto State University Law.
According to the duo, the governing council plays a pivotal role in decision-making, including staff recruitment, approval of staff promotion, financial matters, student admission and convocation, among others.
While calling on the state government to constitute the council without further delay, the union also called on the state government to settle Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) owed to their members, which accumulated over some academic sessions.
The union also called on the government to pay other outstanding allowances of the institutions’ workers.
They pointed out that federal universities began implementing the package in January, insisting that Sokoto state should borrow a leave, citing the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution which places labour matters under central negotiation.
The dons urged the state government to hasten the clearance of the outstanding union and cooperative deductions as well as check-off dues which were still domiciled in the State Ministry of Finance.
They observed that the enactment of salary increment by the Presidential Committee on Salaries had approved salary increment for tertiary institutions’ staff, adding that professors were to get 35 per cent rise, while other staff were to enjoy 25 per cent increment effective January 2023.
The union urged Sokoto state government to implement the pay rise alongside implementation of the agreed N35,000 wage award which was implemented by the federal government following the removal of fuel subsidy.
They also decried the non-implementation of annual salary increments in both universities since 2020.
The union pleaded for stakeholders and well-meaning citizens’ intervention to prevail on the Sokoto state government to fulfill the agreements in the interest of the people. (NAN)
