- By Femi Alabi
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has complained that its members are paid incomplete two months salaries out of the seven and a half months withheld monthly pay.
ASUU Abuja zonal coordinator, Comrade Salahu Mohammed Lawal, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Monday.
President Bola Tinubu had in October 2023 approved the release of four of the eight-month withheld ASUU members’ salaries.
The salaries were withheld when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy against some university-based unions that embarked on a strike that lasted eight months in 2022.
The Union expressed surprise that despite the order by the President for release and payment of their withheld salaries of which the value has reduced having not been paid since 2022, in the last two days, some members have reported receiving an incomplete two-month salaries of the seven and the half-month withheld salaries, while many were yet to get anything.
“It is obvious that the Nigerian government is known for not fulfilling their promises as Federal and State governments are owing various allowances and arrears all over our campuses.
“The promised payment of arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAAs) which as captured in 2023 budget has not been paid. It might interest you to know that promotion arrears are being owed lecturers as far back as 2018 on some campuses. It is high time to pay up what you are owing and stop being a bad debtor,” the ASUU official stated.