Crisis looms as ASUU plans emergency meeting over half salary, eight-month arrears

The Academic Staff Union of Universities is planning an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council following the decision of the Federal Government to pay the lecturers half salaries for the month of October, 2022, The PUNCH gathered.

Recall that the Federal Government has yet to pay the lecturers for the eight months the ASUU strike lasted this year.

Although no date has been fixed for the emergency strike, our correspondent gathered that the decision to convene a meeting followed the calls by members after they received half salaries in their accounts.

A source who spoke to our correspondent in Abuja said, “I was shocked when I received an alert from my bank and I noticed that I got half salary; they didn’t even talk about the backlog of the eight months of the strike.

Another source said, “Some professors received salaries of N121,000; we are waiting for the decision of the national body, our members are very angry right now.”

Speaking to our correspondent in Abuja, ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the development.

“Half salaries were paid; no reasons were given whatsoever. We learnt that Ngige (Minister for Labour, Chris Ngige) wrote the office of the Accountant General and Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system and told them to only pay us for the period when we called off the strike.

“We heard there was a letter to that effect but we haven’t gotten it yet. We are going to summon a meeting.”

When our correspondent reached out to the Ministry of Education, the supervisory ministry for universities, a spokesperson of the ministry said, “We don’t pay salary at the Ministry of Education. Kindly direct your question to the office of the Accountant General.”