A Vice Chancellor on TRIAL

The strike action embarked upon by the workforce of his university is not all there is to the current problems of Professor Ikechukwu Chidobem, Vice Chancellor, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT). (Picture shows Prof. Chidobem)

In addition to the lingering strike by the entire workforce following general poor working conditions, Professor Chidobem is, at the moment, grappling with allegations of looting and diverting of public funds by labor unions in the institution, including Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

It would be recalled that the workers had, since June 1, been on strike to demand improved working conditions. In specific terms, the workers’ demands include payment of 48 months arrears of monetization; payment of three sessions of stipend for lecturers involved in mature student program, post-graduate supervision and sandwich programs; implementation of Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) as applicable in almost all universities across Nigeria since January 1, 2007, as well as election of two Deputy Vice Chancellors as prescribed by the law establishing the university. Other demands include confirmation of elected Deans of Faculties, appraisal and promotion of academic staff, and security assurances and regular payment of salaries among others.

But while on strike, the workers, on July 6, 2009, solicited EFCC’s intervention against what they described as ‘massive looting, conversion and stealing of public funds’ in the institution. The petition, entitled: ‘Looting and Diversion of Public Funds’, was signed by Agu Gab Agu and Sunny Udeze (Chairperson and Secretary, ASUU); Damian Ugwoke and Chris Uzodi ((Chairman and Secretary, NASU), as well as Joe Asogwa (Chairman, SSANU).

The workers’ petition alleged that there had been a run on the funds of the university in the past two months for projects or activities that were not executed or in accord with due process, adding that bank withdrawals were neither reflected in the relevant books of account nor do they pass through the conventional processes.

The petition, also, alleged fraud in the running of the university’s Business School, claiming that, for the past five years, there had not been any reflection of any amount paid by the school in the records of the institution, except for only N30 million for the year 2009. According to the petition, the corresponding payments in favor of the Business School were not reflected in the institution’s account books, including payment for issuance of certificates.

Another contention of the petition centered on electronic payment in the university. Part of the claim was that since the commencement of this mode of payment, the server had not been domiciled in the university while none of its staff worked with the contractor. Also, the memorandum of understanding did not reportedly provide for the training or hand-over of the equipment, technology and know-how, or expertise to Bursary Staff of the university.
“These create room or likelihood for fraud as the tracking of the millions of naira paid to the university is not within the primary knowledge of those empowered to manage the fund”, the petition argued.

The alleged refusal of Chidobem’s management to appoint a Deputy Vice Chancellor for the university is, of course, another contentious issue. The petition thus alleged that since 2007 the institution stopped having a Deputy Vice Chancellor, the allowances accruable to that office had continually and consistently been paid up to the month of May this year.

Meanwhile, the workers have declared that their strike action was not, in the least, politically motivated, but strictly targeted at the provision of favorable working conditions by the responsible authorities.

Lamenting that a lot of the institution’s quality lecturers had been leaving in droves, the unions, in a recent press conference, countered the Vice Chancellor’s claim that his management pays N155 million as monthly salary. The working people quipped that the university, rather, pays staff N137 million monthly or a little slightly above that whenever it pays leave allowances.

“The difference between what they claim to pay and what they actually pay is N12 million which is the difference between the old salary and the CONTISS/CONUIS”, the unions asserted.

The labor unions, further, punctured the V.C’s claim that the university needs N1.9 billion to pay the monetization arrears, contending, instead, that the amount needed for the monetization is N1.4 million.

Insisting that the on-going industrial crisis in the university was informed by the Vice Chancellor’s display of high-handedness, insensitivity and undue pomposity, the unions vowed to continue with their strike action until their demands were all met.

Already, students of the university currently run the risk of losing one academic session if the strike continues. And the worst aspect of this situation is that graduating students who ought to go for their compulsory one year national service are, also, going to be affected.

The strike action by their lecturers and other workers of the university had, unfortunately, been allowed to continue by both the university management and the government of Barrister Sullivan Chime despite repeated peaceful demonstrations by the students for the government’s intervention to save the situation. Rather than tackle the demands of the workforce, both the institution’s management and Chime’s government seem more interested in witch-hunting leaders of the striking workers than in peacefully resolving the impasse.

Several efforts made by KlinReports to get Chidobem’s management to react to the petition to the EFCC, as well as other allegations were fruitless.

It has to be noted that workers of ESUT were already on strike before the commencement of the on-going nation-wide industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities. Also, of note is the fact that ESUT is the first state owned university in Nigeria, but the workers, regrettably, remain the least paid among tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

How will this festering face-off between Professor Chidobem’s management and labor unions in Enugu varsity be resolved? Only time will tell!