There is a call for Tinubu to release the salaries that have been withheld by ASUU.

There is a call for Tinubu to release the salaries that have been withheld by ASUU.

There is an urging for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to release the eight months’ salary arrears that were withheld by the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, concerning the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

In 2022, ASUU went on an eight-month strike due to the federal government’s failure to implement their demands. During that time, the government had threatened to invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ policy against the striking lecturers.

Following the end of the strike, the then Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, stated that the government would not pay for work not done.

In a recent interview in Abuja, Professor Haruna Yerima, a former federal lawmaker and member of the All Progressives Congress, highlighted the importance of settling the eight-month salary arrears to establish mutual understanding between the university union and the president.

Yerima, who is also a professor at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, urged Tinubu to leverage the recent judgment by Justice Benedict Kanyip, the president of the National Industrial Court. The judgment affirmed the federal government’s right to withhold salaries of workers involved in industrial action. However, it also recognized that imposing the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) on ASUU members was a violation of university autonomy, as they should have the right to determine how their salaries are paid.

Yerima emphasized that President Tinubu has an opportunity to intervene and release the withheld salaries of ASUU members, thereby fostering a harmonious relationship between his administration and the union. He appealed for Tinubu’s magnanimity in addressing this issue, as it would help prevent circumstances that could lead to future industrial actions by the union