The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused Professor Abdul Hamid Ahmed, Katsina state commissioner for higher, technical, and vocational education, of misinforming the government and the people of the state about the financial situation at the state-owned Umaru Musa Yaradua University.
Murtala Kwara, the chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, responded to the commissioner’s recent press briefing on the university’s financial state.
Speaking to The Nation in Katsina, Kwara stated that the commissioner misunderstood the fact that the university does not generate revenue and lacks a designated source of income.
He said: “Money collected from students is always designated for their respective purposes. For instance, money collected for student ID cards, GST courses, EDS, and son’’
‘’We are not revenue generating like government parastatals. I am not part of the university management so I don’t know their relationship with the government’’
‘’All we know is that the university is currently experiencing poor funding, money supplied by the government is grossly inadequate, they should do the needful. We are not crying wolf, we are always campaigning for proper funding of the university, it cannot thrive in the absence of funding’’
The ASUU chairman further called on the state government to review the university’s overhead to enable the institution to meet its ever-expanding obligations.
On the 25-30 salary increment, ASUU berated the commissioner for not distinguishing between ongoing minimum wage negotiations and the ASUU/FG September negotiations
He said: “ASUU/FG salary negotiations headed by late Professor Nimi Briggs, are different from current wage negotiations. All we are saying is to increase funding of UMYU and implement a new salary award’’
The Nation recalled that the commissioner had in his briefing stated the current monthly overhead of N7 million for Umaru Musa Yar’adua was inherited from the previous administration of the state and that the present administration did not reduce the overhead for Umaru Musa Yar’adua University or any other institution in the State.
He earlier said: “The administration received no complaints or requests to increase the University’s monthly overhead. Therefore, the Union is raising concerns about the reduced and inadequate overhead, which the University management should address.”
