The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) to prevent a nationwide strike and address long-standing grievances, including withheld salaries and unpaid allowances.
The agreement followed a high-level conciliation meeting on Thursday in Abuja between NAAT representatives and officials of the Federal Government. Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Muhammad Dingyadi, who chaired the meeting, announced that a resolution had been reached to establish a technical committee to address core issues raised by the union.
The committee’s mandate includes examining the mainstreaming of various allowances owed to academic technologists. These include Field Trip Allowance, Student Technologist Staff Ratio Supplementation, Student Work Experience Programme (SWEP) Allowance, and Call Duty Allowance.
The committee will consist of representatives from the Budget Office of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, two representatives each from NAAT and the National Universities Commission (NUC), along with officials from the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Dingyadi stated that the committee has been given a two-week deadline to conclude its work and submit a detailed report. In addition to mainstreaming allowances, the committee will also review the payment of three and a half months’ withheld salaries and the release of third-party deductions from the two-month withheld period. Other outstanding issues include the payment of seven and eleven months’ arrears for Occupational Hazard and Responsibility Allowances respectively.
The committee is also expected to address the issue of omitted payments of the ₦30,000 minimum wage arrears for NAAT members, which was implemented in 2019. Furthermore, it will consider the payment of one year’s arrears arising from the 35 percent and 25 percent salary increment already approved.
On the issue of the ₦50 billion earmarked for the settlement of earned academic allowances, Dingyadi said the Ministry of Labour and Employment has been directed to follow up with the Ministry of Education to explore options for supplementary disbursements to NAAT members. He added that the Federal Government is committed to ensuring the swift renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/NAAT Agreement and that the Ministry of Labour would continue liaising with the Ministry of Education until a resolution is reached.
The minister also confirmed that the consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage, as negotiated by the Joint Public Negotiating Council, had already been implemented. On the matter of career progression, Dingyadi said the meeting instructed the Ministry of Labour and Employment to write to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to expedite the issuance of an enabling circular for the progression of academic technologists to CONTISS 14 and 15.
He concluded by noting that a follow-up conciliation meeting will be held in three weeks to evaluate progress and review the committee’s findings. The MoU was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by Mr. Harry Ogugua of the NUC, Mr. Emmanuel Onung from the Federal Ministry of Education, and Mr. Falonipe Amos of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Signing for NAAT were the association’s President, Mr. Ibeji Nwokoma, and its General Secretary, Mr. Abubakar Yusuf.
