ASUU/AAU RESPONDS TO THE PRESS RELEASE, “ON THE SALARY SITUATION IN AMBROSE ALLI UNIVERSITY, EKPOMA” BY THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT.


It is no longer news that the Edo State-owned Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma for a long period of time has been in the news as a result of default in the payment of salaries of workers, staff unions’ check-off dues and other deductions from the emoluments of workers.

The salary crisis is a symptom of the dysfunction of management or administration of a university, particularly in the twenty-first century. This issue has ignited local strike actions by staff unions in the University with particular reference to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from 25th March, 2021 - 31st May, 2021 and on 14th February, 2022.

The immediate-past Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Benson Osadolor attempted to apprehend the problem by adopting a civilized principle of industrial relations, namely, dialogue with the various staff unions in the University in order to broker peace and restore industrial harmony in the University. Prof. Benson Osadolor’s approach led to a Memorandum of Action (MoA) the University reached with ASUU, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma Chapter on 31st May, 2021 over the problem - payment of outstanding salaries of staff. A proviso in the MoA permitted ASUU to embark on strike in the event of the University failing to pay arrears of salaries of members of the Union.

In handling the salary crisis, Prof. Benson Osadolor was fair, sincere, humane and showed undisguised willingness and readiness to put an end to the salary crisis in the University. He was an Acting Vice Chancellor of due process, having shown unconditional respect for the Law and Regulations of the University. The reality in the University at that time supports the fact that if Prof. Benson Osadolor was allowed to stay and supported with the necessary funds for running of the University, he would have stabilized things and restored industrial harmony in the University.

The Union is aware of how those who are presently at the helm of affairs of the University scuttled the Administration of Prof. Benson Osadolor through the marketing of lies, falsehood and blackmail, and eventually took the impossible task of running the University on self-sustenance policy.  
The University under the administration of Prof. Benson Osadolor was tolerant of dissenting perspectives and views. His administrative style was devoid of lies, impunity, blackmail, falsehood, misinformation, vindictiveness, propaganda, pettiness, intimidation, victimization and repression that have become the defining administrative styles in the University presently.

From all indications, it is axiomatic that the present University Administration under Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin is out to ruin the University by its unrepentant penchant to cover managerial incompetence with lies, propaganda, blackmail and distortion of issues to deliberately conceal the truth about the salary crisis and sundry problems in the University. The University’s recent press release in the social media captioned, “On the salary situation in Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma” purportedly authored by the Acting Registrar of the University, Mr. Ambrose E. Odiase, for and on behalf of the University Management, lends credence to this fact.
ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma is constrained to respond to the aforesaid press release because it contains malicious lies, propaganda, blackmail and distortion of issues about the salary crisis and other problems bedeviling the University too dangerous to ignore.

Previously, when the Union reacted to the rumour that the University had paid salaries and  arrears of salaries of over 504 teaching and non-teaching staff in AAU as at 3rd March, 2023, one thought that the rumour was masterminded by faceless groups or individuals. Behold, from the Press release by the University, the identity of the owners of the rumour is clear. Obviously, the rumour on salary payment in the University was synthesized to confuse and mislead members of the University community and the general public.

The contradictory arguments of the University Management in the aforementioned press release cannot wish away the truth about the present insensitive regime of selective payment of salaries in the University. As the Union earlier disclosed, the University for a long period of time defaulted in regular payment of salaries. This issue ignited local strike actions by staff unions in the University. The multitude of protesting  workers, which the University Management disdainfully described as “politicians’ poster boys” are staff of the University who have not been paid salaries by the University Administration for several months (14 months and less) for no just cause. It is absurd to think that they protested against the University for paying all their salaries. The lies are obvious because it is verifiable that over fifty (50) per cent of members of ASUU have been deliberately denied payment of salaries by the University Administration for 14, 11, 8 and other categories of months (January - December 2022 and January 2023) for no just cause. Was there strike in January 2022 and early February 2022? All members of our Union returned to work in October 2022 after the suspension of ASUU national strike. Have these members been paid for these months outside the current February 2023 salary payment which selectively excluded majority of our members from the payment? Many staff of the University (both academic and non-academic staff) have complained of been left out in the payment schedules for February 2023 and other preceding months.

The Union is aware that the University Administration has adopted the practice of selective payment of monthly salaries to emasculate, frustrate and cow  many staff over the salary crisis. The Union is convinced that the selective payment of salaries of staff was created by the University Administration to unduly batter some staff perceived as their "enemies". Is it justifiable for the University Administration to embark on such maltreatment of some staff when they have not been convicted of any misconduct/gross misconduct or violation of the University's Rules and Regulations?

The Union insists that the reality in AAU, Ekpoma as at 10th March, 2023 is widespread agitation, anguish and grief as a result of the vicious continuation of selective payment of staff salaries by the University Administration, leaving huge amounts of unpaid salary arrears and unremitted deductions. The Union challenges the University Administration to make good its threat to publish the list of those who have so far been paid on a monthly basis, starting with January 2022.

It is disheartening to note that the University Administration has consistently used the policy of no-work-no-pay as an excuse for its failure to regularly pay the wages of staff. The Acting Vice Chancellor should be reminded that only retrogressive and anti-workers employers and managers of workers take delight in punishing workers with the policy of no-work-no-pay for no just reason(s). Before becoming an Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin participated in several ASUU strike actions in the University. He got all his salaries paid during the period of the strike without qualms. The present Acting Registrar of the University, Mr. Ambrose Odiase was at a certain time in the history of the University, the Chairman of the University’s Chapter of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). In his time as chairman of a trade union, several industrial actions, including strike were prosecuted by him. He was not denied his salary for a day, not to talk of months. Today, he is not only at the forefront of the onslaught against workers over strike, but also a willing megaphone of anti-workers' policies in the University. What a contradiction!

Several times, the Acting Vice Chancellor, in particular, has made reference to the implementation of the policy of no-work-no-pay in Federal universities in Nigeria over the recently suspended national strike by ASUU without examining the situation in sister state universities. We strongly advise Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin to reach out to his counterparts in state universities in Nigeria to know if he is actually fair to his colleagues in AAU, Ekpoma against the backdrop of his justification of non-payment of the salaries of his colleagues under the  cover of no-work-no-pay. Among state universities that participated in the recently suspended ASUU strike, the policy of no-work-no-pay was not implemented in Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Ogun State; Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, Imo State; Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijebu Ode, Ogun State; Sule Lamido University (SLU), Jigawa State; Yobe State University (YSU), Damaturu, Yobe State; Nasarawa State University (NSUK), Keffi, Nasarawa State; Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State: Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ekiti State; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (AAUA), Ondo State and others. Why is the Administration of AAU, Ekpoma celebrating negativity? It a shame that where other university managements are celebrating ground-breaking and earth-shaking feats, the Management in AAU, Ekpoma keeps celebrating its ability to selectively pay salary. This display of unfettered hatred for ASUU must stop.

It seems the Management of AAU, Ekpoma has forgotten the Memorandum of Action (MoA) it reached with ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma on 31st May, 2021 over payment of outstanding salaries of staff. A proviso in the MoA permitted ASUU to embark on strike in the event of a breach of the MoA by the University in terms of payment of arrears of salaries of members of the Union. Thus, the University Administration has both moral and legal burdens to contend with in respect of payment of outstanding salaries and cannot preach and implement the policy of no-work-no-pay. After all, when the University Administration owed several months of arrears of salaries of staff, the Union members did not stop work. Edo State Government circular dated 8th June, 2022  (also misinterpreted by the University Administration) stated that the University Administration should pay all outstanding salaries of staff forthwith, that is, all arrears of salaries predating 8th June, 2022. The University Administration failed to comply, but embarked on selective payment of salaries of staff without any justification.

The way out of the salary crisis is for the University Administration to embrace truth, refrain from politicization of salary payment and pay all outstanding salaries of staff without further delay. The current posture of the University Administration is far from being the recipe for industrial peace and the desired development of the University.

The response of the University Administration to the issue of remittance of deductions of Unions’ dues is a confirmation of the assertion by ASUU that the University Administration intentionally stopped the remittance of check-off dues to the Unions to emasculate and destroy trade unionism in the University. For over twenty seven (27) months, the University Administration violently violated provisions of the Trade Unions Act in relation to deduction and remittance of check-off dues.

The attention of the University Administration is hereby drawn to Section 17 of the Trade Unions Act 2005 which is unambiguous about deductions from wages of union members by employers. The aforesaid section states inter alia:
Upon the registration and recognition of any of the trade unions specified in the Third Schedule to this Act, the employer shall - (a) make deductions from the wages of every worker who is a member of any of the trade unions for the purpose of paying contributions to the trade union so registered; and (b) remit such deductions to the registered office of the trade union within a reasonable period or such period as may be prescribed from time to time by the Registrar”.
The violation of Section 17(a)(b) of the Trade Unions Act 2005 by the University Administration is actionable.

The Union is worried that the biometrics verification exercise for staff conducted by the Edo State Government in collaboration with the University Administration with effect from September 2021 is being used to blackmail and intimidate staff and as an alibi for failure to meet financial obligations to workers in the University. The offensive term “ghost workers” has emerged to cover up selective payment of salaries of staff. How many staff have been tried and found guilty of not participating in the biometrics verification exercise or meeting the requirements for the exercise to warrant their exclusion from the University’s payroll? This is sheer deception.
Can the University Administration under the leadership of Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin be sincere for once to clarify  the identities of the “ghost workers”? For instance, can a worker who has been doing his or her job diligently for all this period in terms of teaching, research, supervision of students, marking of scripts, attendance of statutory meetings and representation of the Acting Vice Chancellor in Appraisal Panels be classified as a “ghost worker”? Denying him or her of his salary after working is a big sin on the part of those responsible for the wicked phenomenon.

In particular, this confirms that incompetence, impunity and disregard for the University's laws and regulations reign supreme under the present University Administration. Otherwise, how do you remove people’s names from the University payroll without their knowledge, due process and circular?As a Union, we believe that the issue of “ghost workers” is a figment of the University Management's imagination. Also, the declaration of persons who the University Management claimed have been removed from the payroll as “ghost workers” on account of their “refusal” to appear for the staff biometrics verification exercise is a clear indication of witch-hunt and the secret implementation of the controversial and inconclusive exercise orchestrated by the University Administration. The Union foresees many challenges in the days ahead for the University Administration on this issue.

The pronouncement of the industrial court on the biometrics verification exercise for staff was misrepresented by the Acting Registrar of the University, if he actually wrote the piece by himself. It is a mere gimmick! The requirement of First School Leaving Certificate for the biometrics verification exercise was made optional by Edo State Government and published by the University Administration for the information of all staff. The Union has incontrovertible evidence to support this point. Why is the aforesaid requirement still an issue for the biometrics if not for mischief and blackmail?

The University Administration should note in particular that the ancient, odorous and impotent lie that the Chairman of ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma, Dr. Cyril Onogbosele surreptitiously participated in the biometrics verification exercise with presentation of First School Leaving Certificate has not been able to move an ant hill for centuries. It is unfortunate that pettiness and blackmail have embraced to give an ugly badge to a supposed University Administrator. What a shame! We dare the mischief-makers to produce or publish a copy of the imaginary First School Leaving Certificate in the sky for all to see. The Union is shocked that the University Administration could degenerate to this level of lies and misinformation to cause division in the ranks of members of the Union. They have failed in this line of thought.

On the whole, there is no doubt that the University is facing a humongous crisis of salary payment and maladministration. Let the Edo State Government probe into these crises in the University to unmask the created mystery about the (salary) crisis in the University. The Union thinks that the instrument of lies, propaganda, misinformation, falsehood, blackmail, witch-hunt and victimisation presently being deplored by the University Administration of Prof. Asomwan Sonnie Adagbonyin will not resolve the hydra-headed problems of the University. At best, it will keep the University permanently on the throes of confusion, instability and possible disaster.
 
This Release is issued for and on behalf of  ASUU, AAU, Ekpoma Chapter.
The release is issue for and on behalf of ASUU/AUU Ekpoma chapter and published by Chief Dr. Patrick Osagie Eholor otherwise known as Ultimate Equal, President of One Love Foundation.