Strike rages on at University of Jos

Abuja - Striking University of Jos workers said they would not return to work until all its entitled members are paid their full earned allowances from what has been so far released the university by the federal government.

Staff has embarked on a lengthy strike which the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called for to press for better remuneration and improved working conditions.

“In the course of the strike, the federal government in an attempt to resolve the problems released the sum of 30 Billion Naira for the settlement of earned allowances owed staff of Nigerian Universities, who had earned same from 2009 to 2012,” David Jangkam, branch chairman of ASUU, said.

Jangkam said the University of Jos got the sum of N1.16 billion as its share for onward payment to staff that had worked and earned same based on computation done in 2011 submitted by departments and units. 

He lamented that neither the initial computation in 2010 through 2012 nor the verified computation in 2013 was used by the university administration in disbursing the funds it got from the federal government. 

“Instead, the University of Jos administration shared the money as it deemed fit without regard to whether staff earned same entitlement or not, thus resulting in some members getting far less than what they are entitled to and most members getting nothing at all,” said Jangkam.

The union therefore vowed that despite the suspension of the strike embarked upon by its national secretariat, the University of Jos chapter would not resume academic activities until the university administration resolved the crisis.