KSU VC tells when the school will resume

On Wednesday 25th of February, 2015 fresh strike action was called by the leadership of the local cell of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the institution, our reporter, Yabagi Mohammed, talks to various elements concerned with issues still derailing industrial harmony in the citadel of leaning.

Vice Chancellor, KSU, Prof Hassan Isah displaying a copy of the computed earned academic allowances

 About you Sir:

Professor Isah: My name is Hassan Isah. I am the Vice Chancellor of Kogi State University, Anyigba. I am a Professor of Chemical Pathology.

The Allegation that part of 2009 ASUU/FG agreement is still lingering in the institution:

Prof Isah: It is not true that part of the 2009 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria is still lingering in Kogi State University. The fact is that the agreement has several components, important of which is the salary aspect. We commenced honouring the salary phase of the agreement in earnest as soon as it was reached. In short, we are one of the first institutions to implement that aspect of the agreement.

Another component of the agreement is the Peculiar Allowances. These two:  Salary and Peculiar Allowances are aspects that the academic staff cannot do without. So, we were able to implement them immediately in view of their importance.

There are other types of allowances such as Responsibility Allowances which are paid to Deans, Heads of Departments, Heads of Units and Faculty Examination Officers and others in  that cadre and we have been faithful in honouring these agreements. As I have said, Kogi State University is among the first universities that implemented these allowances.

The only thing that is still hanging is the issue of Earned Allowances for academic Staff. These allowances, for the avoidance of doubt and for clarification, are allowance earned. They are not like salaries and allowances that are statutory for all academic staff. The Earned Allowances are for excess workload that an academic staff carries. The Earned Allowances include Post Graduate Supervision, Post Graduate Study Grant, Field Trip and Teaching Practice Allowances. This part has been lingering not because management and government have been insensitive to it, no; it is because it requires computation.

The facts and figures have to be verified. For instance, in calculating the Excess Workload, we take into account the Course Credit Unit that a particular lecturer is taking, the number of students for the course, the number of practical hours and hour of tutorials. All these require systematic computation using acceptable formula.

So, that is what has been going; it is not that the 2009 agreement has been lingering in Kogi State University and if anyone wants to talk about “lingering of the agreement” then I can say that the blame is with ASUU in KSU themselves. They are the ones who have not been able to come up with calculation of these allowances for us to be able to out with an acceptable document in that regard. They have just been able to do that in November, 2014; just last year. Let me show you what I have been talking about (brings out a copy of the computed document detailing the actual amount accumulating from the Earned Allowances being owed).

Therefore, it (the computation) was produced in its raw form in October. After the production, we had to check the veracity of it by constituting another taskforce to verify the correctness of the computation. So, you see, in this compendium, you find the names of Academic Staff in each department and their entitlements.

Thus, after the receipt of the document in November, 2014, the council, in turn, constituted a small committee led by the Chairman of Council who was supposed to take it to the visitor. It got to the governor only on the 29th of January, this year, 2015.

As a meticulous and intelligent person that the governor is, after the receipt, he minuted on it to his aides: the Commissioner for Education and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) who have been working on it.

For that reason, you can see that since the document was brought to us in November last year, actions have been taken or are being taken at various levels. With the amount of money involved in it, it is only proper that the governor studies it to know what is contained in it and how to implement it what is contained in it when it gets to the level of implementation.

Prof Hassan Isah emphasising a point to our reporter

As at the time the current strike was pronounced, the governor had not received words from his aides on the extent they had gone on the matter. The fact that the aides had not been able to communicate their findings to him is not because they are not working, but because the document is a very bulky material of more than 870, 000 000. 00 (eight-hundred and seventy million naira). I can therefore assure you that the matter is receiving the attention that it deserves.

There was also a supplementary computation that was added to the recently totaling over 200, 000 .00 (two hundred thousand naira). The fact that the amount put together is so huge is why care needs to be taken by government in addressing the situation through proper computation.

The matter is not lingering because government failed to do its job, but because the union refused to do the needful at the time it was supposed to have done it.  They should have computed and submitted their allowance in earnest.

On our part as management, we have been doing our best to it that the matter is resolved quickly and amicably. Government has also shown tremendous commitment to see that the issue is resolved speedily in the shortest period of time.

On the allegation that council has been insensitive to ASUU’s demands

Professor Isah: Again, that is not a true reflection of the situation. I am also a member of council and I can say that is not a fair statement. I am an appointee of government through council and the needs of staff is not only these Earned Allowances but also Salaries and Allowances which are being paid regularly as at when due. At the moment, I can confidently tell you that no academic staff is being owed any amount of money in salaries.

We are also paying attention to staff training and development. As I speak, there are more than 250 staff on trainings and conferences within and outside the country. These are welfare needs that we know are equally important to staff development.

His relationship with the current ASUU leadership in KSU: 

Professor Isah: There is no doubt that the office of the Vice Chancellor and the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Kogi  State  University enjoy a cordial relationship, but at the end of the day, the leadership was elected by a congress. It is  true that we dialogue, consult and forge understanding on several issues, but it is a different thing when the matter goes to congress. All steps I take on issues bothering on academic staff, I inform the ASUU chairman. I let him know latest developments on issues that have to do with the staff of this institution.

We understand that this issue of Earned Academic Allowances is legitimate, but is only in November that the computation was made available to us and the governor got it in January. You know, when it comes to the issue of money, there is a certain way the union thinks and works. This is why they have decided that mounting pressure through the instrument of strike would pressure the government into responding swiftly. It is not the decision of the ASUU chairman only, but that of congress.

Issue of taxation and the governor’s directive for a tax holiday for the academic staff

Empty classes in Social sciences faculty, KSU

Professor Isah: Well, that is unfortunate. From my end and Council’s point of view, we have pursued the matter rigorously. In fact, the last communication we made with the Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service was on the 24th of February, 2015. We reminded them about the directive of His Excellency that this matter of Tax Credit be addressed. It is also worthy of note that the Chairman of Council has also gone to the Revenue Service to add his voice to the matter on several occasions.

Parting words:

Professor Isah: I appeal to members of the Academic Staff Union in the university, who are also my colleagues, to evaluate the scenario that have been depicted and call off the strike. Management and council have not been resting on their oars to ensure that the issue is addressed harmoniously. They should consider the fact that the governor, one of the most education-friendly governors in the country, just received the computation and waiting for the finalization of what is contained in the computed document. I am sure that when the governor receives their reports, he would take action on it to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

ASUU KSU Chairman in a meeting with his cabionet members with some student representatives

In an interview with the Kogi State University Cell ASUU Chairman, Dr. Abadullahi Musa Yusuf, said the current strike action was necessitated by the lingering issue of Earned Academic Allowances as contained in the 2009 Federal Government and ASUU agreement.

That claim was however refuted by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Hassna Isah, who informed Campus Life that the failure of government to implement the Earned Academic Allowance was no fault of management or government, but that of ASUU themselves.

Corroborating his statement with the computed Earned Academic Allowances that was submitted to management and Council, who have in turn, submitted the document to government, he said, since the signing of the agreement, it was only on the 29th of November 2014, that management got the computation and they in turn, forwarded it to government in January after studying it to ascertain its accuracy.

Dr. Yusuf, who said the money being owed the Kogi State University Academic Staff Union is to the tune of over N1b in total, said it had become imperative for them for them to pursue this issue, even if it meant using the strike as a tool.

While appealing to the ASUU members to consider the fact that the institution was among the first universities to implement aspects of the 2009 agreement that bother on salaries and allowances after its passage, the Vice Chancellor called on them to get back to the negotiating table with government rather than embark on industrial action.

But for the ASUU chairman, “We have made efforts to dialogue with government on this matter but we are getting cold shoulders from them. Those who held talks with us on behalf of government didn’t seem to take us serious. As I always say: strike is always the last resort.

“In as much as we are humans, we are also parents who would not be happy to see our children sit at home as a result of strike. But our hands are tied.”

Speaking further, Professor Isah said: “On our part as management, we have been doing our best to it that the matter is resolved quickly and amicably. Government has also shown tremendous commitment to see that the issue is resolved speedily in the shortest period of time.

“I appeal to members of the Academic Staff Union in the university, who are also my colleagues, to evaluate the scenarios that have been depicted and call off the strike. Management and council have not been resting on their oars to ensure that the issue is addressed harmoniously. They should consider the fact that the governor, one of the most education-friendly governors in the country, just received the computation and waiting for the finalization of what is contained in the computed document.”

Another issue raised by ASUU was the issue of tax over-deduction by government within the period of November 2011 and September, 2012 to the tune of N104,934,709.99 (one hundred and four million, nine hundred and thirty-four thousand, seven hundred and nine naira and ninety-nine kobo)which Dr. Yusuf said they want refunded.

But in a reply to their letter referenced: KGS/BIR/PIT/VOL.I/317, the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue said, in part: “after careful study of your request, we discovered that contrary to your claims, the staff of Kogi State University were never over-taxed, particularly during the periods of November 2011 to September, 2012 as claimed in your letter.

“ Kogi State, during the period, including your counterparts in the state Civil Service were made to pay 2.5% of their gross salary as tax, whereas, you (the lecturers) were paying tax based on the concession earlier granted (waiver of Peculiar Allowances). This did not translate to being over-taxed. “