By Ononye VC
The Federal Government has commenced the payment of the withheld salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
ASUU’s chairperson at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, who confirmed the development said: “Yes, it is true. Payment has started rolling in.”
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had in October 2023 approved the release of four of the eight months’ ASUU withheld workers’ salaries.
The salaries were withheld when the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against some university-based unions that embarked on a strike that lasted eight months in 2022.
Also, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, recently said the government has increased the university workers’ salaries by 35 per cent.
The minister said the government has granted autonomy to the universities by removing them from the Integrated Payment and Payroll Information System.