Angry lecturers: Students who resumed after ASUU strike will wait indefinitely

Students who resumed after the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) called off its strike will wait without being taught, some lecturers have said.

This is as a result of the payment of half salary to lecturers who were expecting a backlog of eight months.

Daily Trust had reported how the government implemented the ‘No work, no pay’ policy by paying lecturers who down tools in February but returned to work last month, for just two weeks.

In a statement, Lazarus L. Maigoro, Chairman of the University of Jos chapter of ASUU, said lecturers have withdrawn all academic activities in the institution over non-payment of their eight months’ backlog.

He said the students who has already resumed would have to wait until their withheld salaries were paid.

Maigoro alleged that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave directives that members of the union should not be paid fully.

“One of the issues agreed at the meeting was that 50% of the backlog of eight months arrears of our withheld salaries will be paid to our members immediately but as at the time of writing this press release, only 17 days prorated October salary was paid  to our members by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

“Having stayed for about nine months running now, our members in the University of Jos considered this an insult to them by the Accountant General of the Federation.

“From all indications, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige has personalized the matter between him and our union and is on a mission for vendetta.

“In view of the bottleneck placed by Ngige towards paying our members the backlog of our salaries, the congress of ASUU University of Jos met today 4th November, 2022 and resolved to stay at home, though not on strike until the backlog of the withheld salaries are paid.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our members are back to work, willing and ready to work but are unable to work. Based on the revised academic calendar for the 2020/2021 session  approved by the senate of the University, lectures should have started already but the challenge of lack of payment of salaries has constrained our members from going to the classroom to teach. What this implies is that the students who have resumed already will have to wait indefinitely while we wait for our withheld salaries to be paid to us, unfortunately.”

(Daily Trust)