NLC seeks stronger ties with affiliate unions
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has embarked on familiarization tour to its affiliate unions based in Abuja.
The familiarization tour was led by NLC president comrade Ayuba Wabba and Secretary General Dr Peter Ezon.
The tour took them to the National Union of Hotel and Personal Services Workers (NUHPSW), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT) and Agriculture and Allied Employees of Nigeria(AAEUN).
During his visit to the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), the union’s president, Comrade Sani Suleiman, lamented the shortfall in university funding, saying such situation has affected quality of research and payment of salaries in the university sector.
He said the union has started renegotiation of 2009 agreement and asked the NLC to support the union to realise it dreams.
He said that only 30bn earned allowance was approved in 2013.
Speaking at NAAT headquarters, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said the congress would engage the government to ensure improved funding of the nation’s higher institutions.
He also lamented the failure of the Federal Government to fully implement the 2009 agreement, saying the government cannot renegade on an agreement it entered freely into.
He said, “No country can make progress when it’s education system is faulty, This is a very serious issue and we must follow it up.”
Wabba argued that without unions, most employers exploit workers, assuring that NLC would move to unionize workers in private sector.
On his visit to ASUU secretariat in Abuja , the union`s president professor Biodun Ogunyemi told the NLC leadership that the Federal Government owes public universities in the country N770 billion, as part of the agreements signed in 2009 with ASUU, where the government agreed to release N220 billion annually for infrastructural development in the nation’s universities.
In another visit to ASUU secretariat, ASUU President, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi, decried the decline in budgetary allocation to the education sector in the last three years.
He said from the budget allocation of 13 percent in 2013, education budget has fallen to 4 percent in 2017 budget
He lamented that education is always relegated to the background, threatening that at the appropriate time, the union will take the government head-on.
He said, “We are moving to National Assembly soon. The ruling class has succeeded in destroying primary education in Nigeria. Today, people don’t send their children to public schools. They have also succeeded to secondary schools. The moment they succeed with universities, the tragedy that will befall Nigeria can be better imagined.”
He said from the agreement reached with government in 2009 on release of N220 billion annually for infrastructural development in the universities, the Federal Government “reluctantly released N30 billion in 2013.”