After receiving a status update on the negotiations with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from Education Minister Adamu Adamu on Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari decided to impose the no work, no pay policy against striking university lecturers.
When The Nation learned yesterday that the academics’ demands had been lowered to just the payment of their six months’ worth of salary arrears, the President expressed disbelief.
Buhari was reportedly enraged by the fact that professors continued to complain despite the government agreeing to raise their pay by 35% and that of other academics by 27%.
ASUU’s President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, told the Federal Government to forget sending his colleagues back to the classrooms to finish the unfinished academic sessions if their six-month salary backlog is not resolved, drawing criticism from some Nigerians yesterday for its inability to resolve the conflict.
“If government says no work, no pay, ASUU members will also begin lectures from the 2022/2023 session and forgo unfinished academic sessions lost during the strike,” Osodeke said on Channels Television in response to Thursday’s statement by Adamu that government would not pay the lecturers for work not done during their strike.
Yesterday, sources said that ASUU had also opposed a 35% wage raise for chief lecturers at polytechnics and colleges of education.
It was claimed to have questioned the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s alleged unilateral rise instead of allowing the idea of collective bargaining between the Federal Government and the union.
Investigations have shown that the Minister of Education believed the lecturers on strike were only interested in their salary arrears and had no concern for other demands when he went to advise the President on the status of negotiations with ASUU.
According to a reliable source, the President refused to accept Adamu’s request for the payment of the professors’ unpaid wages right away. He found it incomprehensible that the instructors had wasted a young generation’s potential for six months.
“He didn’t believe that all the lecturers wanted was salary arrears and not much of other demands, including the revitalisation of universities.
“He was disturbed that the lecturers were not comfortable with 35% salary increase for professors and 27% pay increase for other lecturers.”
