The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter, has praised Gov. Uba Sani for restoring power supply to the institution.
The union’s Chairman, Dr Peter Adamu, disclosed this on Monday in Kaduna, but called on the governor to also look into other sundry issues affecting the institution so as to enhance uninterrupted academic programmes.
The university had reportedly gone for seven months without power supply on its Kafanchan and Kaduna campuses.
“Now that power has been restored in the two campuses, we will not relent in our duties, while we are calling on the students to make good use of the opportunity to study hard.
“This is a show of quality leadership which the university has not had long before now.
“ASUU and indeed, the university community, are happy that this kind of intervention is now made possible for the growth and progress of the institution,” he said.
Adamu appealed to the governor to ensure prompt payment of the university’s overhead for the settlement of power consumption and other matters, just as he also called for full autonomy to the university to make it one of the best in global rating.
Adamu said the most pressing need of the university workers presently is the payment of their withheld salaries, adding that “as at today, only a handful of state universities across the country have not paid the arrears of their withheld staff salaries after suspension of the last industrial dispute declared by the union.
“In the spirit of industrial harmony, evidently demonstrated by Gov. Uba Sani in the last 48 hours, the union appeals for payment of the withheld salaries to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship confronting staff members,” he said.
Adamu said outstanding issues to be addressed include the non-remittance of pension funds, non-payment of SIWES and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
He said addressing the outstanding issues would place the university on sustainable progress
befitting an ivory tower., adding that no sacrifice is much to make for public education in the state.
