Oluwafunbi Bello 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has renewed calls for equal university allowances, insisting that non-academic workers should receive the same welfare benefits recently approved for university lecturers.
Speaking on Sunday in Geneva, Switzerland, during the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference, NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi said rising living costs affect all university employees regardless of their roles.
The demand follows the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 per cent increase in allowances for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“We are demanding that whatever is given to ASUU should also be given to us because we face the same economic realities,” Adeyemi said.
He argued that non-academic staff perform indispensable functions in tertiary institutions and should not be excluded from improved welfare packages.
According to Adeyemi, NASU rejected an earlier government proposal offering a 30 per cent increase in allowances, describing it as inadequate.
“The government offered us 30 per cent and we said no. Though they are our senior colleagues, we all go to the same market and buy the same fuel,” he said.
He noted that inflation, transport costs and rising household expenses affect academic and non-academic workers equally.
“The cost of living affects all workers equally. We cannot accept a situation where one group receives significantly better allowances than another,” he added.
Adeyemi disclosed that negotiations between NASU and the Federal Government have reached an advanced stage and are close to conclusion.
“We are almost reaching the end of the renegotiation process for universities. Once we conclude that, the other sectors may not be as difficult,” he said.
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Oluwatobi Adu 