Benue varsity SSANU/NASU protest over earned allowance – Pro-Chancellor

Pro Chancellor of the Benue state University Makurdi, Professor Zachariah Gundu has described as baseless the protest by Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities (SSANU) and Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) from the university over stagnation of promotion and none payment of their Earned Allowance arrears.

Gundu also said the protesters were unfair to the management of the institution noting that BSU is the only university in Nigeria today that is up to date in the payment of the earned allowance to both academic and none academic staff.

SSANU and NASU Benue State University chapter had Monday staged a protest over stagnation of promotion of their members.

The two unions were also demanding for immediate payment of their earned arrears and sack of the university’s Pro-Chancellor, Professor Zachariah Gundu, over alleged atrocities.

But the Pro-chancellor while reacting in an interview with newsmen said it was unfortunate that the union decided to embark on the protest.

He explained that the state governor, Samuel Ortom in 2015, when he took over leadership of the state, in order to solve the industrial action at the university then agreed to build earned allowance into the staff salary, and since then he has kept to his promise.

On the issue of promotion Gundu said, it will be unfair for SSANU and NASU, to think that the institution will just grant promotion to staff arbitrary without earning it.

He noted that currently the non academic staff in the institution were in excess, with some without work schedule.

According to Gundu, the university as it is now has 21 deputy registrars, the highest that could be found in any institution in Nigeria.

“It may interest you to know promotion is not a right, it is earned. “Promotion are done when there is room for it or when people merit it.

“The protesters are also claiming that I have committed atrocities, but they can’t even mention one atrocity I have committed.

“I think the protest is purely political, baseless and lacking in substance,” he noted.