Two unions at the Nigerian French Language Village in Badagry, Lagos, on Wednesday protested against non-payment of earned allowance to members of staff of the Inter-University centres.
They are Non-Academic Staff Union and Associated Institution (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria University (SSANU).
The protesters blocked all roads leading to the institution.
While armed with placards of various inscriptions, they demanded, among other things that the Federal Government should commence the renegotiation of the 2019 Agreement with NASU and SSANU immediately.
Addressing the protesters, Mr John Zannu, NASU Chairman, French Language Village branch, said that the protest was based on instruction from the Joint Action Committee of NASU and SSANU in Abuja.
“Federal Government should include Inter-University Centres in the payment of earned allowance.
“French Village is a training ground for all Nigerian French undergraduates. Enough is enough,’’ Zannu said.
According to him, we are directed to go to our various universities and inter-university centres and zones to undergo this protest because of marginalisation of the non-teaching staff.
“If you could recall in Nov. 2018, the Federal Government released N20 billion to the university workers including ASUU, NASU and SSANU.
“But when the money was shared, stipend was given to NASU, and the inter-university centres were excluded.
“This is unfortunately, because we formed part of people that negotiated the earned allowances.
“But when it comes to sharing, the inter-university centres were not part of them,” he said.
Zannu said the inter-university centres formed part of training, research, teaching and learning of higher institution, adding that no student of French Language in Nigeria could graduate without passing through the village.
He urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, release the money the union members were denied of.
“In November 2018, the earned allowance was paid, and we were not given. In January, they gave them N8 billion, we were not paid anything.
“Last month June, Federal Government released N25 billion, out of which ASUU was given N20 billion, while NASU took the remaining N5 billion, but again nothing was given to us in the inter-university centres.
“We want to implore the Federal Ministry of Education and the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) to stop denying us our rights.
“This is our right; it is what we are due for. We are not fighting anybody,” he said.
Zannu said the national body had directed that after this protest, which started on July 15 and ends July 19, the other national body would start their protest in Abuja.
The chairman said that if government was still insensitive to their plights, they would now go on total strike without concessions.
Also, Mrs Grace Gadzama, a staff of the institution, urged the Federal Government to release N30 billion to offset the outstanding earned allowances from 2012 to 2019.
Gadzama said that nothing had been paid to staff of the institution since 2013 when they received the earned allowance.
She urged the government and NUC to reinstate the staff school workers back to the school’s pay roll.
“We challenged the action in court and won on Dec. 5, 2016, but since then, government has not done anything about the reinstatement.
“Federal Government established the inter-university centres here in Badagry to teach 300 level students of all universities teaching French Language instead of going abroad.
“So, Federal Government should cater for our welfare,” she said.
