By G9ija
The Federal Government has said members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU received their rightful salary in October, which was paid on a pro-rata basis.
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, stated this while briefing correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Federal Government also denied the allegation that it has indirectly made Nigerian lecturers casual workers by paying them half their salary in October, saying that nobody can make them casual staff.
Recall that they called off the eight-month strike it embarked on February 14 this year on October 14 and was paid the October salary based on the number of days they worked.
ASUU called off the strike as a result of the judgment by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN, that ordered the union to go back to work before it could entertain its pending case.
Angered by the payment of half salary, ASUU has embarked on protests in different universities to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s decision not to pay them fully in October.
But despite protestations from ASUU over pro-rata October salary payment, the federal government on Wednesday insisted that the lecturers were paid what was due them
The government also insisted that the lecturers would not be paid for work not done.
Responding to the allegation made by the President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodoke, suggesting that paying the lecturers on a pro-rata basis was a ploy to make them casual workers, the Minister remarked that government has no such plan.
“Nobody can make University lecturers casual workers,” he said.
When told that the lecturers were threatening a one-day action to protest the government’s action, Adamu said he was not aware.
He was also mum when asked to comment on the agreement the union entered into with the government.
However, a source in the Ministry of Education has debunked claims in some quarters that the Federal Government entered into an agreement with ASUU.
The source said, “I do know that the government entered into an agreement with the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), before they suspended their strike, but I am not sure that there was an agreement with ASUU.
“Remember that ASUU only called off the eight months strike because of the court judgment.”
