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Salary Increase: UNILORIN SSANU urges members to be calm over exclusion
Salary Increase: UNILORIN SSANU urges members to be calm over exclusion
The Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Ilorin (Unilorin) branch, Naheem Falowo has appealed to all non-teaching staff of the institution to remain calm over the recent 40 per cent rise for civil servants.
Falowo assured the members that the national body of the union is on top of the matter.
The follows the exclusion of the Unilorin staff from the recently approved and paid 40 per cent pay rise for civil servants in the country.
Making the appeal Monday while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin, Falowo said that the union and its members were not against giving the core civil servants any pay rise since they are all Nigerians.
He however lamented the exclusion of the university staff from the new salary structure, saying that the Federal Government has not implemented any of the eight-point agreement with the unions.
These, he said, included salary review, the union’s earned allowance, the payment of the staff school salary arrears despite the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction and interventions of well-meaning Nigerians.
The Unilorin SSANU Chairman said the union “members are happy with their work and we detest going on strike, but the actions of the Federal Government are discouraging.
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“Nigerians should ask the Federal Government what they want to achieve by excluding university staff from the pay rise.
“They stopped our salary for four months during the last strike; people were starved; some could not pay their hospital bills; and some members died.
“We have not even gotten out of that unfortunate scenario and Federal Government is coming with this again.
“FG said when they removed subsidy, they would have to increase the salaries of staff. But they did so while excluding university staff, are we not patronising the same market? What is good for the goose is good for the gander,” he said.
Falowo therefore appealed to the federal government to urgently resume negotiations with NASU and SSANU, pay the unions’ N50 billion earned allowance as promised and also give them a pay rise to prevent industrial crisis.
On the relationship of the union with the management of the university, the SSANU chairman said the relationship with the Prof. Wahab Egbewole-led administration has been robust, peaceful and encouraging.
He explained that since the assumption of office of the Vice Chancellor, he has been assuring unions that staff welfare is paramount to him, saying “this was manifested with the end-of-year package and promotion of our members”.
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The SSANU Chairman commended the management for promoting a good number of his members.
According to him, the best reward management can give to hardworking staff is to promote them as at and when due.
He pointed out that staff that are due for promotion, deserved to be promoted, but if they are denied promotion, it means they will not be encouraged to work harder.
Falowo, however, assured Egbewole and his entire management team of the unions’ cooperation and support for as long as the welfare of staff, especially the non-teaching staff, continued to be paramount in his administration.
On the relation with the national body, the Unilorin branch chairman of SSANU applauded his predecessors, especially the new Registrar, Mr Mansur Alfanla, and M. J. Akanbi for laying a good foundation for him to build on.
He explained that “Comrade M. J. Akanbi, who is his immediate predecessor, is a national officer of SSANU. The new Registrar has been a Chairman of the university’s branch and a National Treasurer of SSANU.
“You see, out of the 10 executive members that made up the national officers, the University of Ilorin has always produced a national officer out of over 100 universities in Nigeria.
“This says a lot about the relationship between the University of Ilorin and the national body of the SSANU.
News
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
Yahaya Bello reports to EFCC office with lawyers
A former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Tuesday visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to honour another invitation extended to him over alleged misappropriation of funds.
Bello went to the anti-graft office with his lawyers in the morning.
The ex-Kogi governor reportedly drove himself to the EFCC’s office in a black Toyota Hilux van with some lawyers.
He was said to have been taken by some operatives of the agency and are currently being grilled.
This is coming after the Supreme Court judgment which dismissed a suit brought by some state governments challenging the constitutionality of the agency.
The EFCC at the last hearing on November 14, sought the adjournment till November 27 in the fresh case it instituted against Bello.
It stated that the 30-day window was still running for the summons earlier issued.
News
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Just in: Ebonyi governor suspends two commissioners, Perm Sec for misconduct
Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has announced the immediate suspension of two commissioners with a permanent secretary among others for gross misconduct.
Those suspended are the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development Francis Ori, and the Commissioner for Health, Moses Ekuma, with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health.
The suspension followed an incident on Saturday night, when the governor reportedly visited the Ministry of Health’s premises and was said to have found six officials diverting government materials.
Others suspended for three months are the Executive Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency and the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency
The suspension order was announced by the state Commissioner for Information, Jude Okpor, who cited alleged misconduct and dereliction of duties as the reasons for the disciplinary actions.
Okpor made the disclosure on Tuesday during a press briefing on the outcomes of the State Executive Council meeting held on Monday at the New Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital.
“Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health, respectively
“In view of the development, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Primary Health was directed to take charge of the ministry in the absence of the suspended commissioner.
Governor Nwifuru directed the suspended government officials to hand over all government properties in their possession including vehicles to the Secretary to the State Government.
News
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
The Federal Government has defended its decision to borrow to address budget deficits, despite surpassing revenue targets in 2024.
Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget Minister Atiku Bagudu clarified this position during a session with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Finance, Budget, and National Planning. The meeting focused on the 2025–2027 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
Last week, the National Assembly approved President Bola Tinubu’s $2.2 billion loan request to fund the N9.7 trillion deficit in the 2024 budget partially.
During the session, key agency heads, including Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO Mele Kyari, Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi, and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji, presented their revenue reports.
The agencies reported exceeding their 2024 targets.
- Customs Service: Generated ₦5.352 trillion by September 30, surpassing its ₦5.09 trillion target for the year. For 2025, the agency projects ₦6.3 trillion, with a 10% increase planned for 2026.
- NNPCL: Achieved ₦13.1 trillion in revenue, exceeding the ₦12.3 trillion projection for 2024. Kyari announced a ₦23.7 trillion revenue target for 2025.
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- FIRS: Surpassed multiple tax collection goals, including ₦5.7 trillion from company income tax against a ₦4 trillion target. Education tax collections also exceeded expectations, reaching ₦1.5 trillion compared to a ₦70 billion target.
Overall, ₦18.5 trillion of the ₦19.4 trillion 2024 revenue target had been achieved by September, indicating the goal will be exceeded by year-end.
Despite these surpluses, the government insists borrowing remains essential to cover budget gaps and support vulnerable populations.
Bagudu explained, “Even with agencies exceeding revenue targets, borrowing is necessary to address deficits and boost productivity, particularly for the poorest. This aligns with Agenda 2050, which aims for a GDP per capita of $33,000.”
Edun also reiterated that loans were critical for adequately funding the budget.
The committee, led by Senator Sani Musa, questioned the rationale behind the borrowing and demanded further transparency. The Immigration Service was specifically asked to provide documents regarding an “unacceptable PPP arrangement” before the end of the week.
The session underscored the government’s balancing act between increased revenues and fiscal challenges requiring external borrowing.
Why we’re borrowing despite surplus revenues – FG
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