Fresh Showdown Between FG, ASUU Looms Over Half Salary Payment

 

There are indications that another faceoff between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities may follow as the government insists it will not pay full salaries to lecturers.

 

This was made public by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

 

ASUU had on Monday begun protests across the country to press home their demand for full pay after the Federal Government failed to pay them for the eight-month period the lecturers were on strike.

 

However, Adamu, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, insisted the protesting lecturers would not be paid for work not done in line with ‘No work no pay’ policy.

 

The PUNCH reports that ASUU, which embarked on strike in February, called off the industrial action in October, after a Court of Appeal order them to do so.

 

Following the development, the government paid the lecturers half salaries for the month of October while insisting that it would not pay for the eight months they were on strike.

 

In response, ASUU began protests across the country.  But the education minister declared on Wednesday that the lecturers “would not be paid for work not done.”

 

The minister also reacted to the allegation made by the President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodoke, that paying the lecturers on pro-rata basis was a ploy to make them casual workers.

 

“Nobody can make university lecturers casual workers,” he said. When told that the lecturers were threatening a one-day action to protest government’s action, Adamu said he was not aware.

 

Meanwhile, Bayero University, Kano, has rescheduled all academic activities including its first semester examination slated for November 7, 2022, following the ongoing nationwide protests declared by ASUU

 

A statement by the Secretary, Information and Publication Unit of the university on behalf of the Registrar, Bala Abdullahi, said academic activities had been postponed to a later date.

 

The Vice-Chairman, ASUU, BUK branch, Dr Sagir Saleh, told reporters that the union decided to protest to show their “total rejection” of the “amputated” salary paid to members for the month of October 2022.

 

Also, the University of Benin chapter of ASUU has carpeted the Federal Government over its alleged attempt to criminalise the union’s strike action.

 

In a statement titled, “The onslaught against intellectualism,” read by the union chairman of the chapter, Ray Chikogu, at its secretariat in UNIBEN, the lecturers condemned government’s decision to withhold their salaries.

 

Also, the ASUU chairman for the University of Ilorin, Professor Moyosore Ajao, called on the Federal Government to pay the backlog of salaries owed members of ASUU during the strike period.

 

Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents, Ajao said, “My question back to them is if the work is going to be done, will the money be paid or not? If they are saying no payment for work not done, ASUU is not asking them to pay us for work not done. We are asking them to pay us because the work is going to be done.”