The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has protested the non-payment of their Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
The Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, OAU branch, Dr Adeola Egbedokun, stated this during an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Ile-Ife.
He said that his members organised the protests to show their grievances to the school authorities over unresolved allowance sharing formula.
“We are not happy with the way the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Eyitope Ogunbodede, is running the affairs of this University for his inability and refusal to pay Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
“The union members from other Federal Universities have received their money since last year but ours have been withheld by the Chief Executive Officer of the University.
“We want stakeholders to intervene before the issue causes mayhem that would disrupt the peaceful coexistence on campus, for we don’t understand the reasons why ours are being delayed till date,” he said.
According to him, their computation had been submitted to the Audit Unit of the Institution since Jan 20, 2022, but till date, they have not heard anything from neither the Unit nor the Vice-Chancellor.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, told the newsmen that OAU has two factions of academic staff, one is ASUU, while the other one is CONUA.
Olarewaju added that management cannot use two templates for the same set of people, since the money is not on union basis, saying that the bone of contention was that ASUU and CONUA did not agree on a template to pay the money unlike before.
According to him, the management was not holding unto any money unnecessarily, and urged the duo to go and harmonise their positions and come out with a template for the University to settle the bill.
“The Federal Government sent the money to the duo, if they follow the right path, the money would be disbursed to them appropriately.
“It is not compulsory that anybody belongs to any union or society in the University. It is a voluntary thing and the constitution empowers all of us to form associations and seek recognition.
“Human Fundamental Right 1999 Constitution Amendment empowers all of us to belong to any Association that we are interested in,” Olarewaju said. (NAN)
