The issue of illegal and unaccounted pension deductions in UNILORIN is indeed an old one, but it has been swept under the carpet until now. Anyone who tried to raise a strong protest regarding it in UNILORIN, or regarding any other anomaly for that matter, was branded as a “saboteur” who want to sabotage the “peace and stability” and “unbroken academic calendar” of the university. That is how the community has been cowed for so long. What is now forcing the accused persons to respond and account for their misdeameanour is the combined effort of ASUU and the power of the progressive media. To that extent, the petition and its publication has already achieved a cardinal objective.
UNILORIN Administration in its rebuttal has resorted to abuses, blaming imaginary enemies, rather than confronting the substantive issue. This is a typical Nigerian response, which is disappointing. One expects a more intellectual and dignified approach from operatives of the ivory tower.
The fixation of the University with the UNILORIN 49 in its statement is a needless diversion. The University of Ilorin appears to be perpetually haunted by the saga of UNILORIN 49. The phobia for the group is palpable. However, the petition before the EFCC is not by the 49. As the Chairman of ASUU I am not a member of the 49, neither are the members of my executive who were elected into office last year.
Many of the UNILORIN 49 are retired. Most of the other members of the group are professors in other Universities, some in the US and in South Africa where universities are rated hundred times above UNILORIN. For academics in other climes, this is the definition of success. The idea of branding the 49 as a group for continued persecution or pointing at them whenever the Vice-Chancellor “catches cold” must stop. The University should not turn itself into a Nazi regime blaming with a mission to brand Jews as a prelude to annihilating them.
The University statement tries to make it appear as if the Union petition on pension was about the previous Administration of Prof. Ishaq Oloyede alone. This is misleading. From December 2011 Prof. Oloyede as UNILORIN VC suddenly doubled payment of pension by the employees, contrary to the Pension law, leading to undue economic hardship and encroachment on the individual worker’s economic rights, and possibly constituting an undue burden on the national Treasury. Secondly and more grievously, from May 2012 Prof. Oloyede as VC commenced another set of deductions parallel to the above, purporting this one to be “arrears of previous under deductions”. This latter set of deductions, was continued by Oloyede’s successor Prof Ambali who is the current VC. The real crux of the matter is that this latter set of deductions never made it into the employees’ Pension savings account! This is the crux of the matter, which the so called “rebuttals” did not address.
In fairness to Professor Ambali, he did refund three months of the stolen pension fund shortly after he assumed office. However, he then inexplicably continued with the fraudulent deductions, which did not make it to employees’ savings, as noted above.
The claim of “government directive” to increase the volume of pension is neither here nor there. The University is saying that the directive came from ICPC but this is strange. Directives of such nature are normally from, or through the NUC and Ministry of Education. The fact that other Universities either were not aware of such a “directive” or insisted on the dictates of the Pension law puts a question mark on Professor Oloyede’s claim, or on his motivation at the time. ASUU’s position is that pension contribution is a matter of law, which government directive cannot overturn.
The claim that the workers were “carried along” on the issue of pension deductions is also false, as demonstrated below:
In a circular dated 28th December, 2011, the UNILORIN Administration’s own “ASUU” when Oloyede was VC said: “The Union’s Exco viewed the last strange deduction from our salary with utmost concern …”. Furthermore, when they took the Administration to task in a meeting at which two Deputy Vice-Chancellors and the Bursar were present, the Bursar, according to circular, “apologised to members, through the Union, for not providing information on this important deduction …”
In another circular dated 24th May, 2012titled “Burning Issues”, the same group decried “the abysmal removal of a huge portion from our May 2012 salary” and that “the ASUU Exco of the University of Ilorin was NEVER privy to the decision of Administration to commence the implementation of the deduction of the said “Pension Shortfall” (their emphasis).
In yet another circular dated 28th January 2013, the group stated that: “Your Exco was dismayed and more importantly embarrassed to experience the resurgence of Pension Underdeductions in our January salary … the Unions on Campus requested the Vice Chancellor [Ambali] not only to refund the deductions already done by the previous Administration [Oloyede] but further deductions should stop” by the The JAC [Joint Unions Committee] was dissatisfied with Administration for re-introducing Pension Deductions in January 2013 salary against our earlier advice.”
These circulars which were by the University’s own “ASUU” demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that the deductions were rammed down the throat of the workers. It was a case of robbery with violence.
The crux of the matter however is: what happened to the money deducted from the workers during the disputed period! If the deducted millions had been credited to the PFAs as falsely claimed by the Administration, then how did Prof. Ambali retrieve the huge chunk that he refunded to the workers?
The University’s excuse regarding the charges for the students’ PC tablets is at best a lame excuse and at worst a fraudulent excuse. How can the fluctuation of the national currency against the dollar which occurred in 2016 be an excuse for not delivering PC tablets to students who paid in 2013 and many of whom have now graduated?!
The issue of the Bandwidth charge is that students have been made to pay for services that do not exist or that they do not enjoy. This situation is similar to academic staff who are also made to pay N6,000 a year, through automatic deduction, for internet that does not works. In the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences there has been no internet facility for the past one year, yet the staff are made to automatically pay for the non-existing service.
We believe that the students can also make a case for the refund themselves. However, part of the current revelation is that UNILORIN students have been cowed and oppressed to the point that for so long they could not raise their voice in opposition to oppression. This kind of education or revelling in docility must stop. The students must rather be taught the essence of democracy, and the value of rigorous debate and even dissent as part of training in research, in conflict management and in social engineering. A university is not just about academic calendars but about the quality of education received.
In the final analysis we advise the University authorities to open its books to the EFCC in order to clarify issues. The idea of always trying to deceive the public with propaganda of “stable academic calendar” etc.. will not work anymore. UNILORIN must become accountable and be progressive. The whole world is watching.
. Dr. Afolayan, the Chairperson of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, UNILORIN Branch, writes from Ilorin, Kwara State.
Trending
- Zamfara: Passengers overpower bandits, kill one, seize two AK-47 rifles
- Aston Villa confirm new Unai Emery contract until 2027
- NFF to inaugurate sub-committees on Wednesday
- EFCC arrests Sirika over alleged N8b fraud
- Alleged fraud: Court admits nurse to N50m bail
- I regret wearing bikinis, nudity – Rihanna
- N80.2bn fraud: Yahaya Bello disregarded invite – EFCC Chairman
- Oyebanji hails Alebiosu’s appointment as acting MD/CEO First Bank