The Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has dismissed a recent report by the university authorities regarding the reinstatement of several unpaid staff to the institution’s payroll, calling it “misleading, provocative, and deceptive.”
The university, in its November 6, 2024, edition of the News Bulletin, claimed that the names of “removed staff” had been reinstated, and they were now receiving owed salaries spanning several months. However, ASUU leaders at the university, Dr. Cyril Onogbosele (Chairman) and Dr. William Odion (Assistant Secretary), issued a joint statement on November 23, describing the university’s report as a ploy by the acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Olowo, and the Dr. Frank Odafen-led Governing Council to cover up the ongoing victimization of staff and the continued withholding of salaries.
The ASUU officials revealed that many academic staff, particularly union members, have not been paid their salaries for up to 34 months, despite multiple appeals to both the university authorities and the governing council. They condemned the actions of the administration, stating, “There are neither cases of misconduct against the affected staff nor are there trials for violations of the university’s rules and regulations to warrant such treatments. It is dehumanizing, unjust, and evil for the University Administration to deny innocent academic staff of their salaries for almost three years.”
The union representatives emphasized that these staff members had continued to perform their academic duties, including teaching, research, and community service, despite the prolonged salary withholding.
Additionally, ASUU criticized the university’s failure to remit membership dues, which had been deducted from staff salaries since March 2022. They revealed that the administration had failed to remit these dues for 15 months, from September 2020 to December 2020, and from January 2021 to November 2021, amounting to no less than N27 million.
The union leaders also rejected claims made in the university’s bulletin that the Governing Council had been properly constituted and that elections were held to fill vacant positions in accordance with relevant laws, labeling these claims as a fallacy.
ASUU has called on the university authorities to address these issues transparently and to resolve the ongoing payment and governance concerns.
