The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s decision to pay only four months of the lecturers’ withheld salaries for 2022, leaving three-and-a-half months unpaid.
Osodeke argued that the universities have already covered the work missed during the strike in 2022, as they are currently operating in the 2023/2024 academic year and will soon transition to the 2024/2025 academic year.
He emphasized that ASUU members have made sacrifices by not taking leave or vacation for the past three to four years to ensure that the missed work was completed. Osodeke issued a two-week ultimatum to the government, starting on May 13, 2024, threatening to go on strike if the withheld salaries are not paid in full.
In 2022, both academic and non-academic unions in Nigeria initiated an eight-month strike to advocate for their demands, which included improved welfare benefits. As a response, the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari implemented a ‘no work, no pay policy’ against the unions.
However, in October 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four months’ worth of withheld salaries out of the total eight months. While members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received payment for the four months, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) did not receive any payment.
The two non-academic unions had previously been on strike in March, and the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, stated that the government would consider providing them with half pay. ASUU President Osodeke emphasized that lecturers must be fully compensated for the entire duration of the strike in 2022.
He argued that the release of four months’ salaries by the Tinubu administration should not be seen as a favor, as it falls short of the eight months owed.
Osodeke further highlighted that if the Federal Government can allocate trillions of naira for road contracts, providing billions for university workers should not be a challenge. He urged the government to pay the remaining three-and-a-half months’ salaries that are still being withheld, as the work has been completed.
Osodeke warned that if the government fails to do so, the theory of ‘no pay, no work’ may also be applied. He expressed concern over the inadequate remuneration of lecturers, which has led to many leaving the country. Osodeke noted that while lecturers earned $1500 when the agreement was negotiated in 2009, they now earn only around $300.
