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The Association of Nigeria Universities Alumni (ANUA) has appealed to the Nigerian government to pay all the accrued salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union Universities (ASUU) in the interest of peace and justice.
ANUA, in a statement signed by its chairman, Stephen Olawale Fasakin, and Secretary, Mohammed Wada Sani, said paying members of ASUU the owed salaries in full would motivate them to cover the grounds that have been lost on account of the avoidable strike that lasted for eight months.
The statement read: “The Association of Nigeria Universities Alumni (ANUA) has observed the turn of events in the Nigeria university education sector in the past few days which saw the federal government paying members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) half salary of one month out of the back log of salaries owed to them for the eight months industrial action that was recently called off.
“On the one hand, as critical stakeholders and parents, we are appalled by this decision of government not to pay the backlog of salaries to the lecturers. In the first instance, the demands of ASUU, which triggered the strike action are reasonable. Whereas the strike action could have been prevented or cut short, we saw government’s irresponsibility manifest in the way the recommendations of its own committees were flippantly thrown out and in the vendetta of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr. Chris Ngige.
“On the other hand, the Association observed the patriotic spirit of ASUU in obeying the order of court and their flexibility in cooperating with intervention of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, which among other things gave the impression that government has agreed to pay the lecturers 50 per cent of salaries owed in first tranche. The decision by government not to pay members of ASUU the arrears of salaries owed would reopen and deepen the crisis in the Nigeria University system, that we thought has been resolved. We have started seeing the new dimension the crisis would take with the lecturers in the University of Jos asking their members to stay away from work. There is also the likelihood that lecturers would also activate the “No Pay No Work Rule” which would make our children to lose a whole year plus the eight months they spent at home during the strike.
“Naturally, the implication of that stance, if activated by ASUU members, will also affect students who intend to gain admission into public universities. From the foregoing, the Association of Nigeria Universities Alumni, therefore wishes to appeal to government to pay all accrued salaries to ASUU members in the interest of peace and justice. By paying members of ASUU the owed salaries in full, it would also motivate them to cover the grounds that have been lost on account of the avoidable strike that lasted for eight months.”