the federal government of Nigeria has began disbursing the outstanding salaries previously withheld from members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by the immediate past administration of Muhammadu Buhari.
Sources privy to the information confirmed the development to journalists in Abuja on Monday, February 19.
The chairperson of ASUU at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, who spoke to The PUNCH in Abuja earlier in the day, said, “Yes, it is true. Payment has started rolling in.”
Prior to the payments, President Tinubu gave his approval in October 2023 for the release of four months’ worth of withheld salaries of university lecturers. The salaries were withheld in line with the ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ implemented by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, in response to a strike that lasted eight months in 2022.
Recently, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced that the government had increased the salaries of university workers by 35 per cent. he added that the government has granted autonomy to the universities by removing them from the Integrated Payment and Payroll Information System.
This means that the universities no longer require a waiver to recruit and fill vacancies.
These decisions were made after informal consultations with the unions representing the tertiary institutions, as stated by Minister Mamman.
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