The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has organised a three-day training programme on for its members on the critical challenges of Personal Income Tax in Nigeria at the Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The training was tagged, "Trade Union Leadership and the Challenges of Personal Income Tax in Nigeria."

National President of SSANU, Comrade Samson Chijioke Ugwoke, said that association decided to train its members on the Personal Income Tax because President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has assented to the new tax act.

He said that the aim was for members to understand the new tax regime, avoid previous misunderstanding and over-taxation as well as promote peace within the system.

"Peace at all level of SSANU is our objective and for us to have peace we must understand ourselves, we must understand the system and be educated. We therefore decided to embark on the training of our members. We have built a very cordial relation with this institute, MINILS.

"We have had cases in the past of over-taxation by various state governments on universities. We have example of FUTO, UNIBEN, Abraka and Ekpoma. When the new tax law was signed by President Goodluck Jonathan, we decided to train our members on Personal Income Tax. When you are groomed on tax management, no government official will intimidate you," he said.

He commended the immediate past President of SSANU, Comrade Promise Adewusi for his role in educating SSANU members and for discovering and establishing a relationship with MINILS.

He also commended the Director General of MINILS, Dr. John Olanrewaju for subsidising the training for SSANU, adding that the strength of SSANU and any union is training its members at both national and the branches level.

On his part, the director general of MINILS, Dr. John Olanrewaju, commended SSANU for opening the window of opportunities for other unions who are now coming to MINILS to train their members.

"Not only that you have opened the windows of opportunities, it is because of the fact that SSANU also represents a segment of the union that is enlightened. We are glad about the organisational ability of the union, we are glad that you recognised that the best way to mobilise your members and prepared them for the challenges of the present millennium is to give them education, it is to enlighten them, it is to give them power," he said.

Meanwhile, the University of Ilorin branch of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has conferred merit award on the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed; the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambari; Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Is-Haq Olanrewaju Oloyede; Director General of Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Dr. John Olanrewaju and the Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Promise Adewusi.

The conferment took place during the National Executive Council (NEC) of SSANU and the maiden edition of SSANU Annual Merit Award.

Other recipients of the award are two former Vice Chancellors of the University of Ilorin, Professor Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem and Professor Shamsudeen Onyilokwu Amali, Chief Abdulraheem Oladimeji, Mrs. Olufunke Oyeyemi, Mr. Ayodele Sijuwola, Mallam Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN). Dr. Gani Giwa, Mrs. Oladele Abigael, Dr. Josephine Oyebanji, Engineer Adesiyun Adewole, Comd. John Fashiku and Comrade Obafemi Dada.

Chairman of the University of Ilorin branch of SSAN, Comrade M. A. Alfanla, said the recipients were awarded in recognition of their contribution towards upliftment of humanity and empowerment of human dignity.