Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
There is no end to the crisis between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as the union Thursday called on the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, to resign for alleged gross incompetence.
The union said the failure of the AGF to release remit deductions of university workers’ salaries for the month of January three weeks after payment of their salaries is a deliberate plan to make university staff suffer.
The union, in a statement jointly signed by the Ibadan Zonal Coordinator of the Union, Dr. Ade Adejumo, and the University of Ibadan Chairman, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said salaries are not paid when deductions on cooperative societies, and other schemes are not paid.
They allegedly described the AGF as not only wicked and fraudulent but engaging in a calculated attempt to unduly punish devoted university staff and make them vulnerable in a country that anything under the present government barely works.
While demanding for the immediate release of the withheld deductions, the union said the welfare of its members would not be mortgaged for anything.
It added that the office of AGF needed refocusing and overhauling following several unanswered queries over IPPIS fund to the office by the National Assembly.
“The AGF should resign with immediate effect for gross incompetence and abuse of office for his failure to release all the deductions from university workers’ salaries for the month of January. All deductions including cooperatives, levies, bank loans and check off are still being withheld three weeks after the payment of January salaries.
“This wicked action by the office of the AGF has created an undue hardship on the workers who are involved in the cooperative societies and other schemes through direct deductions from their salaries. We demand immediate release of the seized fund with interests and the resignation of the AGF. There is urgent need to overhaul and refocus the Office of the Accountant General to be able to serve the nation better than it is currently doing,” the statement alleged.
