The Federal Government has commenced the payment of withheld salaries of members Academic Staff Union of the University (ASUU) in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A senior lecturer at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, who did not want his name in print, confirmed the development to Nigerian Tribune.
The source, however, said he has so far received payment for only two months of the withheld salaries.
This position was also confirmed by the director of Press in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwah who disclosed on Monday in Abuja that the government released two months salary arrears to the affected lecturers during the weekend.
According to him, another tranche of two-month salary would be released to the lecturers later on Monday.
President Tinubu had in October 2023, approved the release of four of the eight months’ ASUU withheld salaries of the workers.
The salaries were withheld when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against some university-based unions that embarked on a strike, which lasted for eight months in 2022.
It was however, gathered that Federal Government might have decided to pay the lecturers all the withheld salaries as part of efforts to sustain the industrial peace being enjoyed now in the universities.
Mokwa alluded to this, saying the Federal Government has resolved to offset the eight-month salary arrears of the lecturers, even though he did not state when the remaining four months would be paid to the members of ASUU.
When contacted on telephone, President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said he was in a meeting and would get back later.
But the ASUU chairperson, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Gbolahan Bolarin, ASUU chairperson, Federal University of Technology, Minna confirmed the development where he said, “Yes, it is true. Payment has started rolling in.”
Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abuja zone, on Monday, lamented the death of some of its members as result of Economic hardship in the country.
Zonal coordinator, ASUU, Abuja zone, Salahu Muhammed who stated this in a statement in Abuja, decried the poor remuneration of academics and unfavourable working conditions.
He revealed that no fewer than 46 academics lost their lives in universities under the Abuja zone, namely the University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State University, Nasarawa, and the Ibrahim Babaginda University, Lapai.
The union said it recently lost an eminent Professor of Fisheries, Johnson Oyero, of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, due to the inability to afford quality medical facilities.
“In the last decade, more Nigerian academics are leaving the country in droves in search of greener pastures, thereby overworking the patriotic ones that remain in the system whose level of patriotism is dwindling on a daily basis due to poor remuneration and working conditions.
“It is also worthy of note that the union has lost several members during the period under review due to herculean working conditions, psychological and emotional stress, and diseases related to these conditions. For instance, universities in the Abuja zone have lost 46 members.
“In fact, just two days back, the union lost an eminent Professor of Fisheries, Johnson Oyero of the Federal University of Technology, Minna due to inability to afford quality medical facility.”
Speaking further in the statement, Muhammed said the union was also appalled by the failure of the Tinubu-led administration to honour some of the commitments it made with the union in a bid to avert potential industrial actions in universities.
