TENSION BREWS IN UNIVERSITIES AS NAAT DEMANDS FAIR SHARE OF N50BN ALLOWANCE
The calm in Nigeria’s public university system may soon give way to fresh unrest as the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has warned of a looming industrial crisis. The union is angered by the Federal Government’s decision to release N50 billion in Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), allegedly intended solely for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), without first consulting all relevant university-based unions.
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, NAAT urged an immediate suspension of the planned disbursement, insisting that no funds should be paid until a meeting is convened involving the four university-based unions—ASUU, NAAT, SSANU, and NASU—to develop equitable sharing modalities.
The group’s National Executive Council, led by its president Ibeji Nwokoma, expressed its dissatisfaction in a communique released after a two-day meeting held in Abuja. According to NAAT, the allowances—though historically associated with academic staff—also belong to non-teaching professionals and technologists who contribute significantly to the university system.
The union cited an April 4 letter from the education ministry’s permanent secretary, Abel Enitan, informing ASUU of the imminent release of the N50bn payment and an ongoing discussion regarding the N150bn revitalisation fund under the 2009 NEEDS Assessment. The same letter noted that the re-negotiation committee’s report on the 2009 agreement was also under review.
NAAT described the development as a “selective and discriminatory action” that could threaten the fragile industrial peace on campuses. The union emphasized that a failure to treat all university unions equitably would trigger widespread discontent, warning that the current situation, if not corrected, could snowball into a full-blown national crisis in the education sector.
