The
Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, has called on
the Federal Government to protect the whistle blowers especially two
UNIABUJA staff sacked by the institution.
Professor Michael Umale Adikwu, Vice-Chancellor UNIABUJA
After placing them two senior staff of the University of Abuja on
suspension for eight months for dragging the management of the
university to the anti-graft agencies, the Governing Council of the
university has sacked the duo for alleged insubordination.
In a report by Vanguard, it was revealed that the two staff had
exposed massive corruption in the institution which drew the ire of
school management. However, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian
Universities, SSANU, has called on the Federal Government to protect the
whistle blowers in a bid to fight corruption in the system.
Termination of the appointments of the two staff came just four
days after the burial of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the
University Governing Council, Samuel Ogbemudia, in Benin City, as the
Governing Council convened meeting on 22nd and 23rd of March 2017, to
effect the sack.
Meantime, SSANU has stated that the Federal Government was too slow
to wield the big stick on perpetrators of corrupt practices, either as
convicts or suspects under investigation/trial as in the cases in the
Nigerian University system in recent times.
SSANU in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its National
President, Comrade Samson Chijioke Ugwoke, said the suspension and
termination of appointments of the two staff of the University as a
result of whistle blowing, constituted a gross violation of the Whistle
Blowing Policy of the present administration, which should not go
unpunished.
The union has called for the reversal of the termination of the
appointments of the affected members, Comrades Jude Nwabueze and
Nurrudeen Yusuf by the Management and Council of University within one
week.
SSANU also demanded that the Management and Council of University
of Abuja should tender a strong apology to the Federal Government and
the Nigerian citizens for allegedly defying the orders of Government and
disregarding constituted authorities.
According to the statement, “The Union, SSANU, wishes to bring
to the notice of the Nigerian public and the world at large that the
reason the Management of the University gave for the said termination of
the appointments is false. It is because of whistle blowing and Union
activities, and not insubordination as alleged. SSANU therefore wants to
put the records straight.
“The Management of the University of Abuja got itself engulfed
in unauthorized recruitment of staff without following due process, thus
over bloating the system.
“When the government of President Muhammadu Buhari came to
power and it was no more business as usual, coupled with the recession
that greeted the Country, the Budget Office stuck to the release of the
actual budgetary provision for all MDAs.
“This led to “perceived shortfall in the university (Abuja) in
2015 as the University could not pay the entire staff their correct
salaries. This and many other demands of the Union (SSANU) in University
of Abuja, including unpaid arrears of promotion and other welfare
issues of members, gave rise to the crisis which HEIGHTENED in 2015.
“The Management failed to honour her own side of the Memorandum
of Understanding it entered into with the Union that would have ended
the crisis in the early times. The Union had to cry out to the Federal
Government (whistle blowing) for intervention. Does this constitute acts
of insubordination?”
SSANU in the statement further stated, “The Management of
University of Abuja began dealing with the issues in contention
initially by inviting the two staff in their capacities as SSANU
Chairman and Secretary along with the other Exco members to meetings
where some understandings were reached that would have nipped the
problems in the bud.
“The failure of Management to do the needful led to the
externalization of the matter (i.e. to Government and the public through
the Press) by the Union. This angered the Management who decided to
single out the Chairman and Secretary (i.e. Jude Nwabueze and Nurudeen
Yusuf) and issued queries to them, this time as staff of the University
transport and health services units respectively (no more as SSANU
leaders).
“The Management also went ahead to suspend the duo without
salary (not even half salary) and without any defined period as is the
practice in the Nigerian University System and public service.
Consequently, they have been on suspension without salary for the past
eight months.
“The University Governing Council Disciplinary Committee that
eventually recommended the dismissal of the two staff (Officers of
SSANU) did not even bother to give them any fair hearing before
conviction, neither did the Council, though illegally convened, see this
procedure as faulty.
“All principles of natural justice were jettisoned. The public
may also wish to know that there was disagreement among the members of
the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee which led to incomplete
signature of all members.”
Commenting on the legality of the meeting of the Governing Council
that allegedly terminated the appointment of the two staff, SSANU said,
“The meeting of the Governing Council was convened on 22nd and 23rd of
March 2017, barely four (4) days after the burial of the Pro-Chancellor
and Chairman of the University Governing Council, Samuel Ogbemudia, in
Benin City.
“The respect accorded Elder Statesmen in this part of the world
was thrown to the wind, all in a bid to hurriedly disengage some
persons from their source of daily living in the guise of
insubordination. Courtesy demands that the Council meeting would have
waited at least two weeks as a mark of respect.
“In a rational setting, the vacuum created by the death of the
Pro-Chancellor would have been filled, even if it is in acting capacity.
This was not done. Neither was there any clearance or permission
obtained from the Honourable Minister of Education for the said meeting.
“The meeting was therefore not properly convened as required by
law. As it stands, the Vice-Chancellor, in conspiracy with some of his
cronies in the Council, connived to hold this illegal council meeting.
From the proceedings of the meeting, it appears as if the major reason
for the “emergency” meeting was to disengage these two staff.
“The public may wish to know that the tenure of the present
Council has expired and Government has put machineries in place to
constitute a new one. This is probably why the Vice-Chancellor, out of
desperation to send these two packing, knowing fully that he may not
elicit the support of the incoming Council to do the dirty job, connived
with some members to hurriedly convene the meeting to quickly execute
his agenda.
“It is also important to inform that the Council did not reach
any conclusion on the matter whether or not to dismiss or terminate the
staff, because inside sourceS revealed that the issue of the legality of
the Council meeting surfaced during the session and it became so
weighty that no meaningful decision could be taken that would stand.
“Therefore, at what point did the decision to terminate the
appointment of the duo came to be, and who gave the directive that the
termination letters be issued?”
Disregard for government policy
“Whistle blowing became prominent with the Whistle Blowing
Policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration, which
encourages Nigerians to expose corrupt persons and especially, public
office holders. The policy also tends to protect whistle blowers from
any act of intimidation or punishment in the hands of the superiors or
establishments.
“The suspension and the so-called termination of these two
staff of University of Abuja, which by all ramifications is as a result
of whistle blowing, constitutes a gross violation of the Whistle Blowing
Policy of the present administration, which should not go unpunished.
“It could be deduced here that the Management of the
University, currently being investigated over alleged corruption,
hurriedly took this action so as to distort the investigation, since the
two will now be considered outsiders to the University.
“It is also important for the public to know that SSANU at the
National Level, had taken several steps including initiating, visiting
and holding about three meetings with the University Management, all in a
bid to resolve the crisis, but failed because the Management would not
want the matter resolved.
“The Union therefore reported the matter to the Federal
Ministries of Education, and Labour and Employment for their
intervention. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has finished
with the preliminaries and has scheduled a meeting of the Union with
the university management for Wednesday, 5th April, 2017.
“The University Management is aware of this development as they
have been duly communicated. Why then this hurried action of the
University Management when relevant bodies saddled with the
responsibilities to resolve industrial disputes are already intervening?
“All the Vice Chancellors under trial in court and those being
investigated to the point of arraignment are still maintaining their
seats. Are they above the law? At least, it is on record that all judges
under investigation/trial have stepped aside. Why not the Vice
Chancellors?”
The union urged the Federal Government, through the Federal
Ministry of Education to re-build the confidence of the masses on the
protection clause of the whistle blowing policy by immediately
dissolving the Governing Council of University of Abuja before the
planned general dissolution of others.
It further called the government to “remove the Vice-Chancellor
and the Principal Officers of the University for acts of
insubordination to the Federal Government of Nigeria, especially the
Registrar for incompetence, advising the Management and the Council
wrongly and guiding them to take a very wrong and unpopular decision.
This will serve as deterrent to other Chief Executives.”
SSANU also called on all well meaning people of this country to “prevail
on the University of Abuja administration and FGN to do the needful to
avoid throwing the Nigerian University System into another round of
crisis; and also re-build the confidence on the masses in the fight
against corruption. These should be done quickly in the interest of
industrial peace in the university and the country at large.”
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