In the last week of October 2015, the national headquarters of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) wrote the Director General notifying him of a 21-day ultimatum starting from November 1 2015 for an indefinite strike action.
Prof. Ujah who alongside his Director of Administration, Alhaji Abdullahi S. Yunusazazzau and Director of Finance and Accounts, Mr. Shola R. Olagundoye signed an agreement with NASU on August 25, 2015 agreeing to pay the workers their entitlements which he (Ujah) initially denied at a press conference and has failed to fulfill his part of the agreement to spread it over a period of 3 months starting from September to November 2015. The Director General is now being given the ultimatum to meet all components of the signed agreement that include conduct of 2014 and 2015 promotion exercises for staff and payment of all the promotion arrears for 2012 and 2013 promotion exercises and 9-month arrears for 2013 shortfall on or before November 21 2015. Failure to do this will attract the wraths of the workers with an indefinite total strike action from November 23 2015. It is reported that the Federal Government has actually released this outstanding amount for disbursement to NIMR workers about 2 years ago but the money due for the workers has been misappropriated by the Director General according to the Union.
Read Also:
In a swift reaction to the letter received from the NASU headquarters, a circular with reference number MR/GEN.AD/117/IX/862 was reportedly issued on October 28 2015 urging the staff to exercise patience as the management awaits government response. The circular claimed the management has responded to a circular with reference number HCSF/428/S.1/128 dated September 14 2015 issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) that all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to compile and submit the names of all public service employees (serving or retired) being owed arrears of salaries and allowances for payment. Sources who interacted with InfoTrust but chose to be anonymous on the released NIMR circular lamented that “This people think we are fools. Who doesn’t know that they have already collected the money from government and spent it? The Director General and two of his allies could not deny this when evidences of government paying the money to NIMR were shown them during the August 25 2015 meeting with NASU. So why respond to the OHCSF circular or do they think those in Abuja do not have their records of those they owe these arrears?” Our sources disclosed further that the Institute will undoubtedly not benefit from the financial bailout under the recent presidential directive because the Federal Government has actually released the outstanding amount the NIMR workers are agitating for since 2013.
Information reaching InfoTrust however shows that Prof. Ujah is making frantic efforts to avert the indefinite strike by the workers. InfoTrust reliably gathered that the junior workers eligible for promotion in 2014 were served letters of invitation on Monday November 2 2015 only 48 hours to their promotion examination. Reliable source revealed that promotion examination was used as a punitive measure against the workers for their contributions to the present travails of the top management officers facing corruption charges. Our source pointed out that only a very handful of the workers passed the examination which its results are yet to be made public to the affected workers.
InfoTrust also reliably gathered that some of the arrears that include the 2013 promotion arrears and part (one third) of the 9-month shortfall which Prof. Ujah and the Director of Finance and Accounts initially denied at a press conference called by the Ujah on August 20 2015 where he claimed that the Budget Office in Abuja was yet to pay NIMR the money being agitated for by the workers and that whosoever that cares to find may go to the Budget Office to find out have now been paid the workers. The question the workers and other right thinking Nigerians are now asking is: if Prof. Ujah claimed there is nothing like shortfall, what is the money paid the workers via remita on November 10 2015 meant for? Is it Christmas bonus or what?
However, if Prof. Ujah has now eaten his words and decided to pay the workers the money he initially denied, then where did he keep the workers’ entitlements since 2012 and 2013? Is it not just for the Director General and the Director of Finance and Accounts to pay the workers interest accordingly on their capital having been kept from them for 2 years? In this era of zero tolerance for corruption being championed in the change mantra by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Prof. Ujah and his allies in NIMR has a case to answer the NIMR workers and Nigerians as a whole why the public funds due the workers since 2012 and 2013 is just being paid the poor workers now in 2015, and what they have been using money for in the last 2 years.
