Picketing: FUPRE Management allegedly refuses to pay Union members Allowances
Investigation has revealed that the Management of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, has refused to pay the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Earned Allowance (EA) to staff of the institution who are under the umbrella bodies of the NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Warri Zone. This is coming as the unions are picketing the institution for the second day.
The Management also refused to pay about six million naira (6 million) for the tankers used in picketing the school’s gate.
While the meeting lasted, members of NUPENG staged a walkout, leaving only members of PENGASSAN after the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ezekiel O. Agbalagba, who first agreed to pay the said allowances to the oil workers at a meeting held on Wednesday, suddenly decided he is not paying them on the grounds that it’s only for academic staff.
At the meeting yesterday, they also refused to legalize the operations and payment of members of the union on the grounds that it’s the Industrial Court that will decide since the matter is in court.
This is coming after a meeting between the University’s Management and the unions after they picketed the institution yesterday morning.
It was also learned that another meeting between the FUPRE Management and the unions is also slated to hold today.
A member of the union who craved anonymity said the union gave the Management an ultimatum to pay before seven days; otherwise, they will escalate the matter. The union member added that Management assured them that they might pay before that seven-day ultimatum.
According to him, Management also said they cannot legalize/regularize our matter because the matter is in court. “So, we are watching and waiting to see the outcome.”
The unions, in a letter earlier sent to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, alleged that the Management, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ezekiel O. Agbalagba, refused to disburse their members’ Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Earned Allowance (EA), which the Federal Government disbursed to Federal Tertiary Institutions (precisely May 28, 2025).
In the letter, the union alleged that your Management decided to apply “Divide and Rule” to disburse the said EAA and EA for Federal Tertiary Institutions, in contrary to Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ILO Conventions 87 and 98.”
