AKSU Staff Protest: Vice Chancellor Distances Self From Salary Deduction Saga

Michael Ufot

The Vice Chancellor of Akwa Ibom State University, Professor Eno Ibanga, following the varsity's staff protest over non-payment of allowances and 'illegal' deductions of salaries, has explained that staff wages are paid in accordance with the scales agreed by the  State Government and Staff Unions during negotiations.

Professor Ibanga, while interacting with The Eyes Newspaper's Editor on a phone call, disclosed that the Staff Unions of the University had round table negotiations with the state government where a table of salary structure was drawn and duly signed by the government, Staff Unions and the representatives of the University Management.

The Vice Chancellor denied any knowledge of deduction or increase in salary payment, noting that State government paid staff salary through him as the head of the University. He added that the purported deduction may have been caused by the Staff Unions' negotiations with government.

Meanwhile, staff of the University  had staged a peaceful protest on Tuesday  March 3,  2020 over alleged breach of the agreement between the Federal/State Governments on non inclusion of the new minimum wage and peculiarities allowances in their February salary.

The defacto chairman of SSANU, Richard Ekpo, while addressing Journalists during the protest in Ikot Akpaden, alleged that the Vice Chancellor had summoned some of the Union members and told them that he  will pay salary without Peculiarities allowances which he claimed not to know its components in the salary scale according to his circular No. AKSU/REG) 5/VOL.111/601 dated February 27,2020.

He accused the VC of rejecting government’s proposal to pay N30,000 minimum wage and other benefits and not willing to adhere to national and state mandate of universities and asked the government to mainstream the earned academic allowances into action.

“We want them to pay immediately the minimum wage and half of our salaries deducted by the VC as a sign of commitment and arrears and this will continue, unless we are heard.

“We call and demand that the government should release as a matter of urgency, N30,000 for non-teaching and teaching staff”.

The staff demanded among other things the following:
1. Erroneous promotion to step one.
2. Arrreas of 279 staff.
3. Approval and the Implementing of Akwa Ibom State Staff Conditions of Service without the stakeholders - Unions etc.

The Chairman of ASUU, Akwa Ibom State University branch, Dr. Imeh Okop was not readily available for comments at the time of this reports.