Buhari blamed as workers cripple OAU over 64-month owed allowances

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) gate
 
Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have blamed the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government for its failure to meet the demands of its non-academic staff who have stalled activities at the institution.

Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) have blamed the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government for its failure to meet the demands of its non-academic staff who have stalled activities at the institution.

Members of the local branch of the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) had downed tools from Friday, 3rd of July following the expiry of a 21-day ultimatum given to the management by the union to pay up owed allowances accumulated over 64 months.

OAU NASU Chairman, Wole Odewumi, was quoted saying that the earned allowances were part of an agreement signed with the Federal Government since 2009 but have remained unpaid.

Odewumi alleged that the OAU management had selectively paid the ‘Responsibility Allowance’ which a few senior staff are entitled to, refusing to pay the ‘hazard allowance’ which affects most NASU members.

“They implemented the one that concerns them, but the one that concerns majority of the workers, they have left unpaid. We held several meetings with them over the matter," Odewumi said.

"Eventually, we gave them an ultimatum which elapsed last Friday.”

But the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, claims that that the Federal Government is the one causing the delay in the payments.

“We issued a circular that as soon as the Federal Government pays the second tranche of that money, we will pay everybody accordingly," Olarewaju said.

The PRO also said the allegations of selective payment of the allowances were not true.

“I am not aware of any ‘selective payment’. If they are talking about ‘responsibility allowance’, members of NASU who head units were also paid that allowance," he said.

“Responsibility allowance means if you head a unit and you are not given an official car, but use your money or car to run errands for the university, you are paid a stipend of about N6,000 or N8000.

"It is not selective.”

He urged the workers to reason with the management.

"We are just appealing to them to give peace a chance and go back to their offices," he added.

"No federal university in this country has paid that money.

"They should just give us some time."

It will be recalled that member of the University of Ibadan (UI) chapter NASU on the 1st of July brought academic activities at the institution to a standstill in a similar fashion.