Tension has gripped the University of Benin (UNIBEN) as academic staff express concern over the payment of half salaries for August, with many lecturers reportedly struggling to meet their financial obligations ahead of the new academic session.
While academic staff received only half of their August salaries, non-academic staff of the university were reportedly paid their full salaries for the month.
The development has sparked concern among members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIBEN Branch, particularly because the payment was reportedly made without prior notice to members of the union.
It was learnt that the half salary was paid without other outstanding allowances, leaving some lecturers who had taken loans from the university in a difficult financial situation, with little or nothing left from their August earnings.
The timing of the payment has also heightened concerns among academic staff, coming ahead of the resumption of schools later this month, when many lecturers are expected to meet significant financial obligations for their children and wards.
Sources within the university community said the development is linked to funding challenges following the Federal Government’s failure to release the expected subvention to the university.
It was further gathered that the August half salary was paid from the university’s internally generated revenue (IGR), rather than from the expected federal government subvention.
The development comes against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s release of five months’ arrears as part of the implementation of the agreement reached with ASUU.
However, concerns are mounting that the implementation of other aspects of the agreement may have effectively been shifted to individual universities without corresponding funding from the Federal Government.
Reacting to the development, the leadership of ASUU UNIBEN Branch, in a statement titled “Important Notice,” said it had met with the university administration over the August salary payment.
According to the union, the university administration assured its representatives that more salary alerts would be issued shortly and urged members not to panic.
The statement, signed by the Secretary of ASUU UNIBEN Branch, Dr. L. O. Aimiyekagbon, urged members to remain calm.
However, the branch chairman, Dr. Enaruna Edosa, said the half salary payment came as a surprise to academic staff.
Edosa disclosed that three days after the half salary was paid, the university management released Professorial allowances to deserving members of the academic staff.
“I believe the Vice Chancellor that the outstanding half salary will be paid,” he said.
The development has nevertheless left many academic staff anxiously awaiting the balance of their August salaries, with uncertainty over when the outstanding payment will be made.
The situation has also renewed concerns among university workers over the financial burden being placed on institutions when federal funding is inadequate to meet their salary obligations and other commitments.
For now, academic staff at UNIBEN are looking to the university management and the Federal Government for urgent intervention as they await payment of the remaining half of their August salaries.
