ASUU threatens fresh strike over unpaid of eight months salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concerns over the prolonged withholding of nearly eight months’ worth of salaries for university lecturers, attributing this situation to the fallout from its 2022 strike action.

In a recent statement issued by ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke, the union expressed its discontent with the ongoing non-release of salaries for lecturers, highlighting it as just one of the several pressing issues plaguing the Nigerian University System (NUS).

Osodeke further revealed that this matter was deliberated upon during ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State, spanning from Saturday, August 19, to Sunday, August 20, 2023.

Reiterating the union’s stance, Osodeke explained that ASUU’s NEC reasserted their viewpoint that applying the “No-Work-No-Pay” policy to academics was unjustified. This policy fails to acknowledge the indisputable facts that, firstly, the strike action only suspended the teaching aspect of academics’ duties. Secondly, it was emphasized that following the intervention of key figures, including the former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the strike was resolved. This led to academics compensating for the time lost during the strike under exceedingly challenging economic circumstances.