Akwa Ibom govt., owes varsity staff 15 months’ salary—NASU chairman

Comrade Idongesit John, Chairman,  Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), Akwa Ibom State University, Ikot Akpaden at Mkpat Enin  says that Akwa Ibom Government owed staff 15 months’ salary.

John stated this while speaking with some media professionals at Mkpat Enin on Wednesday.

He expressed disappointment that the state government owed 279 staff who was employed between 2013 and 2014 before the NUC accreditation processes. 

“It is not an allegation but the truth that some staff is being owned 15 months’ salary; some of the staff was recruited between 2013 and 2014.
“Some of the staff helps the accreditation process to be actualised. The University and the Government used some of the staff to achieve accreditation processes,’’ he alleged. 

The NASU Chairman further said that the staff had not received June salary.
“We that we have been in the system for a long time now, we have not receive June salary, if the state government is saying that they are not owing, that is not true,’’ John said.

He said that development had cause hardship to affected staff of the university.

“It is difficult now with them, we are sympathizing with them because for someone to work up till 15 months and is going to 16 months without salary, it is very pathetic,’’ he said.

John appealed to Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom to come to their aids while calling on the government to capture the affected staff in the next budget.

“We have tried to find out what the problem, initially they were saying that their employment were not captured in the budget.

“Every year there is annual budget for the university, and the university also makes sure they capture the activities and what they want to do for the year.
“If that budget was approved, we know that money was not released because assuming they release what was meant for the university for the year 2013 or 2014.

“The University would have paid those staff because budgetary provision accommodates employment of new staff,’’ John said.
He noted that the Union stops the staff from protesting during their 5th matriculation ceremony which holds July 21.

“We have to see how we can mediate and pleaded with them not to disrupt this matriculation.

“The union will see how to liaise with the management and government to see how that money can be paid,’’ he said.

He threatened that the University would commence strike, if the salaries of workers are not paid within three weeks from the matriculation day.
He commended the Vice Chancellor of the university in his efforts to liaise with the state government to see that the money can be paid to the affected staff.

According to him, the bottle neck is not from the University but from the state government.