The academic staff union also raised concerns that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, is discriminating against its members in the implementation of some of its policies.
“The NEC noted with sadness the continuous discrimination by TETFUND in its activities, particularly its exclusion from the reconstitution of TETFUND National Research Fund Screening and Monitoring Committee . The NEC requests for the Honourable Minister of Education’s urgent intervention in facilitating the inclusion of CONUA in all TETFUND programmes and composition of committees involving representation of academic unions, ” the communique read.
On the state of the nation, CONUA noted that since the removal of subsidy on fuel, Nigerians have been going through excruciating pains. “What the government has done was to lump together those who embarked on strike with those who did not! This is unjust, and is tantamount to punishing the innocent along with the guilty. Through its unwarranted punishment of CONUA members, the government is inadvertently promoting the use of strikes as means of pursuing workers’ demands.
“This is especially unacceptable for university academic staff who normally retire at the age of 70. We therefore passionately appeal to the federal government to look into this distressing matter urgently and help to solve the avoidable problem. CONUA-NEC is advocating for the payment of at least 50% of the pension, at least five years before retirement to the beneficiaries.”