The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has strongly criticised the Federal Government over what it described as a biased move to disburse Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) exclusively to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
This reaction followed a recent letter signed by Mr. Abel O. Enitan, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, stating that N50 billion would be released for EAA payments—mentioning only ASUU as beneficiaries.
NAAT, in a communique released after its 58th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held April 9–10, 2025, expressed deep disappointment, calling the move discriminatory and damaging to industrial harmony across Nigerian universities.
“This selective payment approach is not only unfair but could plunge our campuses into chaos,” said NAAT President, Comrade Ibeji Nwokoma, in the statement.
The union pointed out that during a meeting on January 23, 2025, it had corrected the Minister of Education’s earlier claim that the N50 billion in the 2025 budget was solely allocated to ASUU. According to NAAT, the Minister had apologized and promised to address the issue—a promise they say remains unfulfilled.
Adding to its frustrations, NAAT highlighted the stalled renegotiation of its agreement with the Federal Government. The union stated that the re-negotiation committee, chaired by Dr. Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, only met with NAAT once before submitting its report. The report, they claim, lacked any real input from NAAT.
The union is now demanding an emergency meeting with the Minister of Education and all four university-based unions to ensure a fair and inclusive disbursement process. It also called for the immediate mainstreaming of earned allowances, as agreed upon in the 2009 NAAT/FGN agreement.
Raising an alarm over the potential breakdown of peace on campuses, NAAT appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, the National Assembly, student unions, and security agencies to step in and help resolve the issue before it escalates.
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