Few Varsity Lecturers Receive Withheld Salaries

Having waited for so long to be paid, only a few members of both the Congress of the University Academics (CONUA) and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), have so far been paid two months out of the withheld salaries by the Federal Government.

This was confirmed by both the National President of CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, and the ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Oshodeke.

Sunmonu disclosed, “… I can say that our members started getting alerts for two months…but only a few so far got that.”

“As I speak to you, I have not got any alert. We may not be able to confirm the number of people that have been paid until during the week when we hope to assess the situation,” Sumonu added.

Confirming the report, Professor Oshodeke stated that ASUU had been informed that a few of its members had been credited with part of the seized salaries.

A few of those lecturers who spoke to the media also confirmed that part of their withheld salaries have been paid.

It was last year October that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the payment of four of the eight months’ salary withheld by the government of former President Mohammadu Buhari.

The regime of President Buhari seized seven months of the lecturers’ salaries when they embarked on an eight-month strike in 2022, as the former government adhered to the ‘No Work, No Pay’ measure as ruled by the court.

Meanwhile, ASUU last week issued a threat that it might be forced to embark on another strike due to frustration arising from what the union described as lies being told by the government.

Professor Oshodeke in a release by the Union claimed that the government had ignored many of its demands and that the body was ready to explore all options.

Meanwhile, the decision to embark on a fresh strike would be discussed at its meeting slated for this February as notified by ASUU.

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