There is fresh tension in the Nigerian federal universities after the just-returned lecturers were paid half their salaries as payment for the month of October 2022 by the federal government. Recall the Academic Staff Union of the Nigerian Universities, ASUU called off its eight months Industrial Action on 14th October 2022, making the academicians have only worked for 18 days in the month of October. The drama was unveiled when the lecturers started receiving what was bewildering to their amusement as only half of salary alerts from their usual salary accounts were paid by the federal government.
Recall vigil360 report that the federal government was not joking when they clearly informed ASUU during their demand for the payment of the 8months salaries of all the time they spend at home during the industrial action that “no work No Pay”.
The industrial action was called off when the speaker House of representative, Femi Gbajabiamila waded into the matter and urged the lecturers to go back to classrooms, with the promise that the federal government was going to pay the salaries they missed during their stay-at-home.
However, in a dramatic twist yesterday, while some of the lecturers were expecting a payment of the backlog of the promised salaries, only to receive an alert of half salaries for the month of October they resumed two weeks ago.
Daily Post confirmed that a lecturer at the Federal University of Nigeria Nsukka was paid only half their salary and his colleague received the same.
The lecturer said, “The much I know, those who have called me said they were paid only for eighteen days for the month of October.”
On its official Twitter page, The UNILAG chapter of the union described the development as “insensitive and disheartening”.
The Chairperson of the branch, Dele Ashiru wrote: “The leadership of the union at the national level has been duly informed about this unfortunate development and they are on top of the issue”.
Similarly, at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, (UDU), Sokoto, the Union has accused the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, of attempts to create disharmony among its members.
Meanwhile, in some quarters, some lecturers from the college of medical science and Public health have gotten all their outstanding salaries.
The Minister was quoted to have said that those categories of lecturers did not go on strike.
Meanwhile, the National leadership of ASUU has called for an emergency meeting next week Tuesday to decide on the next line of action.
