EXCLUSIVE: How 24 universities shared N23 billion causing fresh crisis in Nigerian universities

University of Lagos

University staff, members of four unions, are currently engaged in a verbal war over the modalities for sharing the money.

The money was part of the N220 billion the government pledged to the schools, which is an integral part of a resolution reached to address the last strike embarked on by unions over the non-implementation of previous agreements.

The sharing of the money as released by the government has resulted in a crisis among the unions.

The Joint Action Committee, JAC, comprising the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, believe they have been short-changed by their counterparts in the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

On Thursday, the JAC announced the commencement of a nationwide strike over the matter. The strike is expected to begin from Monday, December 3.

The sharing formula shows the exact amount meant for each university, which is further broken down to the specific amounts allocated to the respective unions.

The documents reveals that out of the N23 billion that was approved, the university lecturers got about 75 per cent, approximately N18.38 billion while N4.61 billion was given to the non-teaching staff.