It Is Baseless For ASUU To Demand Payment Of Nine Months Salaries, Says FG

The Federal Government says it is baseless for members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to demand the payment of salaries for the entire nine months that the union has been on strike.

Channels TV reported that, Nigeria’s Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said this in a statement on Tuesday while reacting to claims by ASUU President Biodun Ogunyemi that the Federal Government has agreed to pay the lecturers all salaries before they return to the classroom.

“Hence, it is baseless for ASUU to claim it cannot go back to school on empty stomach while government has on compassionate grounds, paid five months salaries out of the nine months they have been on strike,” the statement from Ngige’s media office explained.

The statement further noted that “With the lockdown at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister got a special presidential approval to demonstrate good faith to ASUU members that government is not on a vengeful mission or out to starve ASUU to death as some of them are claiming.

“They were subsequently paid for two months of February and March after which it was extended to April, May and June, months they were on strike on compassionate ground, bringing it to five months. This was done because of the Covid-19 pandemic and its deleterious effects on incomes of all workers and their families as government reasoned that ASUU members also have families.”

It also dismissed claims by the varsity lecturers that the Federal Government has not been faithful to agreements reached with the union.

“ I, therefore, state without equivocation that every offer with timeline has been faithfully fulfilled as promised by the government,” the minister noted, adding that the union had agreed to end their strike on Wednesday, December 9th, 2020.