Another ASUU Strike Looms Over Lecturers’ Salary Arrears

• 95 members in UniJos, ATBU, FUK owed for 13 months

BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – Threat by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to resume their suspended strike now looms large following the Federal Government’s delayed implementation of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by both parties in 2020.

Accusing the Federal Government of “deliberate stealing” of its members’ salaries, ASUU is holding the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige responsible for the lingering crisis because “he has refused to act to end the crisis due to his personal reasons”.

Consequently, the body said only dutiful discharge of all articles contained in the 202 MoA that include payment of lecturers’ outstanding arrears of between two and 13 months can avert the impending action.

The Bauchi Zone of ASUU, which issued the threat, said about 95 lecturers from the University of Jos, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, and Federal University, Kashere are still facing untold hardship due to non-payment of their monthly emoluments.

Addressing Journalists shortly after its meeting at the ATBU ASUU secretariat on Tuesday, the lecturers said they were at pains going public with the issues because more than nine months after suspending the 2020 strike, the government has reneged on the FGN-ASUU MoA, leaving ASUU no choice than to “activate its procedures of resuming the conditionally suspended strike in the event that these issues are not addressed before we conclude our internal processes”.

“The public, in this circumstance, should not hold our Union responsible for any disruption of Academic activities in the Nigerian Public Universities. We call on well-meaning Nigerians, parents, students, Civil Society Organizations, and the general public to continue to understand with and support ASUU on this just course. We call on ASUU members all over the country to continue to be with and support the National Leadership”, ASUU declared.

According to ASUU Bauchi Zonal Coordinator, Prof Lawal Garba Abubakar, though the Labour Minister directed IPPIS officials to resolve all outstanding issues or prepare a memo for the Federal Executive Council (FEC), emerging developments only indicate that their lukewarm attitude remains an embarrassment to the government and ASUU.

Prof Abubakar said regrettably the inconsistencies observed in the IPPIS’ application in terms of salary payments, and remittances of third-party deductions have continued in all the Federal Universities.

“Since the introduction of IPPIS in February 2020, our members have continued to be omitted from the payments of salary on monthly basis. This is the situation across all the Federal Universities in the country.

“Every month when salary is paid, a different set of staff will have their names omitted from the payment for that particular month. As we speak now, about 95 lecturers from the University of Jos are being owed salary arrears of 2 to 13 months it is the same situation in ATBU,16, Bauchi and Federal University of Kashere, 18”, Prof Abubakar submitted

He further claimed that; “This is deliberate and amounts to the victimization of ASUU members by IPPIS office as a ploy to force them to enroll, thereby frustrating the implementation of UTAS as agreed before the strike was suspended in 2020.”

The ASUU chief also said; “The questions that need answers here are: Are some individuals feeding fat on the high cost of maintenance and consultancy fees on IPPIS as against the freely developed and more efficient UTAS that has taken care of the University peculiarities, in line with extant Laws? Could this be the reason for the foot-dragging by FGN to deploy UTAS in the Universities?”

Similarly, the Union complained that Professors and Readers (Associate Professors), who are supposed to retire at 70 years, are now “being forcefully retired by IPPIS through the abrupt stoppage of their salaries in violation of the Universities Miscellaneous Act of 2012”.

They also complained that; “The salaries paid to our members are not commensurate with their ranks based on the prevailing salary Table. What we have been suffering is a theft on our salaries; others call it amputation”, adding; “At the end of every month, no one can say for certain what his or her exact salary would be as a result of unauthorized deductions; one must just do with what IPPIS throws at you. Another question is, “Where do they take these unauthorized deductions to?”.

He said another challenge in the 2020 MoA is the non-implementation of promotions as at when due; and even after implementation, the promotion arrears are unduly delayed by officials operating the system.