The Nigeria Labour Congress has cautioned against reported moves by the Federal Government to withdraw the registration licence of the Academic Staff Union of Universities over non-submission of its audited financial returns for over five years.
The NLC while dismissing the claims that ASUU had not submitted its audited financial returns to the Registrar of Trade Unions for over five years as required by the law insisted that the union had submitted its financial reports up to 2021.
Reacting to media report that the Federal Government may withdraw ASUU’s registration because of the alleged infractions, the NLC alleged that ASUU submitted its financial reports twice, but were deliberately rejected.
In the letter to the Registrar of Trade Unions and copied the Minister of Labour and Employment, NLC President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, warned against moves to deregister or withdraw ASUU’s registration licence.
The NLC in the letter dated September 2022, said, “We understand that ASUU has responded to your query to submit its Annual Financial Report and Audited Accounts within 72 hours. ASUU responded to the query through their letter dated September 9, 2022.
“In the letter, the union posited that it had submitted the Annual Financial Returns and Audited Accounts for 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. ASUU also averred that the union has now rendered the account for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 as at September 9, 2022.
“We understand that due to disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, the union was unable to fill these reports immediately the financial documents were prepared and available for filing. We also understand that regardless of the COVID-19 disruptions, the union had paid for statutory required filling fees.”