By Adesina Wahab

The Congress of University Academics, CONUA, has said all academic staff unions in the nation’s university system are entitled to benefit from the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, CATA, saying no union cannot appropriate is as its own exclusive preserve.

CONUA, in a statement by the National President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said the comment credited to the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU,Prof. Chris Piwuna, that other academic staff unions were hoping to reap where they did not sow, was completely off the mark.

“Ordinarily, CONUA would not join issues with a sister union. However, it has become necessary to correct a number of misconceptions capable of misleading the public.

“First, CATA is not paid by ASUU. It is a public employment entitlement funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria and administered through university managements in accordance with government directives. Once public funds are appropriated and implementation guidelines issued, eligibility is determined by law and government policy, not by the preferences of any trade union.

“Second, the argument that only members of the negotiating union should benefit from government-funded academic entitlements raises a fundamental question: Does ASUU negotiate on behalf of all Nigerian academics or only on behalf of its members? If the former, eligible academics cannot lawfully be excluded because they exercise their constitutional right to belong to another registered union. If the latter, the long-standing claim that ASUU is the sole representative of university academics stands on shaky ground. The two positions cannot coexist.

“Third, the Federal Government itself has clarified the issue. In its correspondence of 9 June 2026 to Pro-Chancellors and Chairmen of Governing Councils of Federal Universities, the Honourable Minister of Education directed that the funds released for the payment of the accumulated CATA, covering the Professorial Allowance and Earned Academic Allowance, be administered with due diligence, transparency, and accountability for eligible academic staff on CONUASS. The directive nowhere restricts the payment to members of any particular union.

“Fourth, CONUA has never demanded benefits from ASUU. We have insisted that government-funded employment entitlements should be implemented without discrimination against any eligible academic on account of union affiliation. That position is consistent with Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Trade Unions Act, the judgment of the National Industrial Court delivered on 25 July 2023, and Nigeria’s obligations under ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

“It is also important to state that all remuneration and welfare issues, including those relating to conditions of service, have already been successfully negotiated between CONUA and the Federal Government. What remains is the formal signing of the Agreement by Government. It is therefore incorrect to suggest that CONUA is seeking to benefit from negotiations conducted by another union. CONUA has concluded its own negotiations and is awaiting the Government’s assent to bring the process to its formal conclusion.

“The suggestion that CONUA is receiving “the fruits of another union’s struggle” overlooks a basic principle of labour relations. Collective bargaining may produce agreements, but public-sector employment benefits funded by taxpayers’ money are implemented by Government according to law, not according to the membership register of any trade union.

We also note with concern the resort to personal attacks and derogatory expressions such as “shameless” and “cheap publicity.” Such language does little to advance reasoned discourse on matters of national importance. The issues before us are legal and institutional, not personal.

“CONUA has consistently maintained that trade union pluralism is now a legal reality in Nigeria. The National Industrial Court has affirmed the legitimacy of multiple academic unions, and no law recognises the concept of a “dominant union” empowered to speak for or exclude other duly registered unions without their consent. Representation without consent is inconsistent with both the Constitution and the ILO principles on freedom of association and voluntary collective bargaining.

“Finally, CONUA remains committed to responsible unionism, constructive engagement, and the stability of the Nigerian university system. Our position has never been about confrontation; it has always been about ensuring that every eligible academic enjoys equal protection under the law and receives lawful entitlements without discrimination, intimidation, or institutional exclusion.

The future of Nigerian university unionism lies not in monopoly but in competition of ideas, mutual respect, and fidelity to the rule of law.”