The Federal Government on Saturday explained why it failed
to pay full salaries to lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities.
In a statement, by the Federal Ministry of Labour and
Employment, the government noted that members of ASUU were paid their October
salary pro-rata.
According to the ministry, pro-rata was done because they
cannot be paid for work not done.
The statement further clarified that the Honourable Minister
of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, never directed the Accountant General of
the Federation to pay the university lecturers half salaries.
The statement reads in part, “Following the ruling of the
Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of
Nigeria, asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to
the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike. The Federal
Ministry of Education wrote to him in a similar vein and our labour inspectors
in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.
“So, the Minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance,
Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored. They were paid in pro-rata for the number of
days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended
their industrial action. Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work
not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”
The ministry equally faulted a statement by the Chairperson
of ASUU, Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto branch, Muhammad N. Al-Mustapha,
accusing the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of biased payment of salaries to
selected professional members of the union.
“Those obviously
being referred to by the UDUS ASUU chairperson were members of the Medical and
Dental Consultants Association who abstained from the eight-month strike of
ASUU because they abhorred the incessant strikes by the union and its grave
effects on medical education in Nigeria and production of more medical doctors.
“Accusing the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment,
Sen. Chris Ngige, of biased payment of salaries to selected professional
members of ASUU, is a barefaced distortion of facts. Mustapha said he received
information that a segment of the staff in the College of Health Sciences has
been paid seven months of their withheld salaries from March to September, due
to a letter written to the Minister of Finance, instructing the exemption of
the under-listed staff on the application of ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule.
“To set the records straight, the medical lecturers who are
being referred to by the Chairperson of the ASUU UDUS branch, abstained from
the eight-month strike of ASUU. This has been corroborated in a press statement
by the Chairman, MDCAN UdUS, Dr B. Jubrin and Secretary, Dr I. G Ango, on
Friday, November 4, 2022.”
Quoting from Dr Jubrin’s press statement, “Realising the
emergency situation in the sub-region worsened by emerging public health
threats, the medical and dental lecturers in UDUS decided to continue the
academic activities during the ASUU strike to save our healthcare from total
collapse. To this end, the UDUS medical lecturers agreed to conduct lectures
and examinations during the period of the strike.
“In line with the provisions of the Labour Act, we wrote and
sought the intervention of the Minister of Labour and Employment, to ensure
payment of our salaries. The Minister, having carefully reviewed our submission
and that of the university management, obliged. This is not an act of favouritism
as alleged by ASUU, UDUS branch leadership in their press statement.
“ASUU, UDUS branch, as an association, is expected to
protect the interest of all her members and appreciate the differences or
peculiarities of medical education. The ASUU can legitimately fight for its
lawful rights without tramping on the rights of others who are also university
staff. We hope that this response will put issues in their proper perspective.
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