Bauchi tertiary institutions seek Gov. Bala’s intervention on issues hindering smooth operations
Story from Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Academic and Non-Academic Staff Unions of Bauchi State’s Tertiary Institutions has called on Governor Bala Mohammed of the state to intervene on crucial labour issues bedevilling its members.
The call was contained in a press release signed Wednesday by the Chairman of the Union, Mohammed Abdukadir and the Secretary, Ibrahim Bala Abdallah and issued to journalists in Bauchi.
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“It is very unfortunate that for so long we have not been enjoying some of our entitlements such as promotion implementation benefits, yearly increments, and consequential adjustments among others”, the press release said.
JAC while stating that their colleagues in federal colleges and polytechnics are comfortably enjoying all of such benefits, noted that it is also worrisome that some of its members are persistently omitted in the payroll, despite the genuineness of their appointments and the verifications they had undergone without indictment.
The union decried despite a series of observations that have been forwarded on their cases to appropriate authorities, no positive result has come out.
“It is our belief that most of these problems are compounded by some ‘invisible’ consultants, against the initial good intention of His Excellency, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, Kauran Bauchi, of cleansing ghost workers from the state payroll, without jeopardizing any genuine civil servant”, the union posited.
The statement reminded the state government that the promotion of its members in the tertiary institutions is not just tied to a waiting period.
“It involves conference presentations, journal publications, chapter publications, book publications, registration with professional bodies, community development, and stagnation without additional degrees, all of which are capital intensive and cause financial stress, especially with the devaluation of our currency and unprecedented inflation”, the union said.
“JAC has written series of letters, containing details of some or most of these anomalies but without tangible result”, the statement said.
”Our fear is that our amiable governor might be blocked from having first-hand information about the whole scenario. We are therefore left with no alternative than to follow this channel before it is too late”, the union further explained.
The union while lamenting brain drain among its members, said turning deaf ears on the matter would only escalate the rate of the problem in the state own institutions.
“This is going to be a situation we believe His Excellency would never compromise, having contradicted his efforts of making Bauchi State a model educationally”, the press release said.
Neptune Prime gathered that the institutions affected include Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Aminu Sale College of Education, AD. Rufal College for Legal and General Studies, Adamu Tafawa Balewa College of Education Kangere and Bauchi State College of Agriculture.
