4th July, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Warri
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has condemned in strong terms, the plan by the federal government to sack all university staff school teachers across the country.
Rising up from its Western Zone meeting held at Delta State University, Abraka, the Union in a communiqué, said declaring members of staff duly employed by the Governing Councils of the universities as ghost workers, is not only mischievous but-highly offensive and smacks of evil and sinister intensions motivated towards causing unrest in the Nigerian University system.
The Union said the current practice of funding staff schools from the treasury dates back to the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, just as it wondered why staff school teachers are now the target when 120 unity schools, Army, Navy, Air force and Police schools are funded across the country through the same treasury.
The communiqué jointly signed by the Vice President, Western Zone, Comrade Alfred Jimoh, DELSU branch Chairman, Comrade Andrew Okoruwa and Secretary, Comrade Matthew Eyuren, pointed out that staff schools were not particular to Nigeria Universities as they are regarded as part and parcel of the municipal services that make a university whole in its activities, substance and autonomy.
“It is not and has never been a favour done on the Nigerian University system. In fact, removing university staff schools, removes the value of universities and makes it less of a university because of the reduced commercial and municipal life,” the communiqué stated.
According to the SSANU officials, implementation of the plan would not only violate the agreement reached with the federal government in 2009, but would also run contrary to the purpose of the creation of universities and undermine the prevailing industrial peace currently existing in the university system.
Consequently, SSANU has vowed to defend the sanctity of every part of the agreement reached with the federal government in 2009, just as it called for the support of sister unions in the university system to fight against what it called impending injustice.
The Union also called on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to ignore any thing that could cause crisis in the university system but rather focus its attention on cutting wastages and extravagant spending instead of resorting to sack staff school teachers.