NASU warns states over salary arrears

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Governors still owing workers, despite the bailout funds from the Federal Government, may soon face an industrial action. The Non Academic Staff of Universities and Educational Institutions (NASU) has urged the governors to pay up with immediate effect.

The union in a resolution adopted after the quadrennial delegates’ conference, last weekend, warned that the bailout funds should be used to pay the arrears of salaries owed workers. It also mandated the governors to, henceforth, ensure effective and prompt payment of workers’ salaries.

The statement, which was jointly signed by the Deputy President and Secretary, Adegoke Adeniyi and Damola Adelekuný, condemned the delay in the payment of workers’ salaries by some governors.

“Union views this negative, anti-worker agenda as an inhuman act, which has brought untold hardship on the workers and invariably on the populace,” the statement said.

It, however, praised the giant strides of President Muhammad Buhari in providing bailout funds to affected states to offset debts owed to workers, noting that the singular act of Mr. President has endeared him to the hearts of Nigerian workers.

The union also urged workers of the affected states not to compromise the payment and to closely monitor the disbursement of the funds to forestall any attempt by some governors to use the funds for other purposes.

The union also expressed dismay on the deplorable conditions of Nigerian Public Libraries and the National Library of Nigeria due to neglect by government and decline in individual and corporate support.

It also frowned at some governors’ concession of e-library to private operators and other ministries as against its usage by the library boards.

It noted that for the country to develop and for the present government’s clamour for eradication of illiteracy to succeed, urgent attention must be given to resuscitation of libraries in Nigeria.

“The Conference-in-Session, therefore, called on all tiers of government to make it a priority by providing adequate funds for this education sector since they are not created to generate revenue but to render services to the populace and also implored the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) to intervene in the pathetic situation in public libraries”, the union added.

Source: The Nation