Some lecturers not paid for 6 months – ASUU

 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has said contrary to the postulation of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, some of its members have not received salary for six months.

ASUU had embarked on an indefinite strike on March 23 over alleged shortcomings of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and failure of the federal government to honour its 2019 agreement.

But the minister reportedly said on Tuesday that the striking lecturers have been receiving their salaries regularly and that the union would soon call off its strike as efforts to address the contentious issues are in progress.

Reacting to this on Wednesday, the Coordinator of ASUU, Lagos Zone, Prof Olusiji Sowande said Ngige was “economical with the truth by misinforming the public that government has been paying the salaries of members of our union to date.”

Sowande, in a statement in Abeokuta on Wednesday, said government only paid salaries up to June, insisting that lecturers are still being owed three month salaries, even as he stressed that some lecturers have not been paid for six months.

ASUU had earlier this week debunked reports that it had called off the six-month long strike action, insisting that its demands must be met before students return to the nation’s varsities.