A university teacher, Dr Philips Nto has tendered his resignation as a member of Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) ,citing lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the administration of the union.
Nto who is the Director, Agribusiness Incubation Centre, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, lamented that the union has been hijacked by self centred individuals who now run it like a cult group.
He said instead of the union fighting for the welfare of members, a cabal now uses it to even truncate the career progression of some members who are regarded as outsiders.
Dr Nto, a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia state, cited a personal case where the local chapter of ASUU wrote a petition against his promotion to the rank of a professor, reflecting the internal contradiction in the union.
In the resignation letter addressed to the Chairman of the MOUAU chapter of ASUU. Dr Nto regretted that the union has been reduced to a tool for personal vendetta against perceived enemies of the executive members.
He lamented a situation whereby the MOUAU chapter adopted an apartheid policy in the disbursement of the recently released Earned Academic Allowance.
According to him, ” During the recent disbursement of Earned Academic Allowance, I was short paid by ASUU MOUAU. Whereas my counterparts received between N800,000 to One million Naira, I was discriminated against and paid only N267,992. My protest letter to that effect is yet to be replied to”
” The lack of transparency in the disbursement of the fund and the impunity with which some members are treated like outcasts have left me with no option than to exit the union “,he wrote.
He noted that since he became a member of ASUU, he had benefited nothing in spite of his huge financial contribution to the running of the union including an unrepaid loan of N250,000 in 2013.
He implored the university management to cease the deduction from his salary any dues payable to ASUU, since he was no longer a member.
