ASUU Demands Payment of Withheld Salaries
Forty-eight hours following the nationwide demonstrations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) regarding their welfare, the union’s Owerri Zone has called for the prompt payment of the unpaid three and a half months’ salaries owed to its members, asserting that “the laborer deserves his wage.”
This zone includes Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Imo State University (IMSU), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), and Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka.
During a press conference held in Awka, Professor Dennis Ariwodo, the coordinator of ASUU Owerri Zone, stated that the 2022 strike was instigated by the government’s failure to fulfill its commitments to the union; thus, lecturers should not be penalized for the action.
“You cannot beat a child and ask him to stop crying,” Ariwodo remarked. “The government believed that withholding our members’ salaries during the 2022 nationwide strike was the best punishment. But what triggered the strike? The government neglected to honor multiple Memoranda of Understanding and Action made with ASUU. If those agreements had been implemented, would a strike have occurred? The answer is no.”
He emphasized that the government lacks the moral authority to withhold salaries, pointing out that the value of the money has already diminished. Additionally, he called for the immediate payment of all arrears related to third-party deductions, labeling their non-remittance as a criminal offense.
The ASUU leader further urged the release of revitalization funds recommended by the 2012 Needs Assessment Committee, which estimated that approximately N1.3 trillion would be needed over six years for the revitalization of Nigerian public universities. He expressed concern that aside from the N200 billion disbursed in 2014, no significant funding has been allocated to address the declining state of the education system.
“To illustrate how dire the situation is, no Nigerian public university has made it into the top 1,000 universities worldwide, while some from other African nations have done so. Is this not a disgrace for the so-called giant of Africa?” Ariwodo questioned.
He also criticized the inadequate budget allocation for education, which stands at around 8%, significantly lower than the 15% promised in the APC manifesto and the 26% recommended by UNESCO.
ASUU Owerri Zone, he stated, is thus urging the government to sign the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement. Pay the three and a half months’ salaries that have been withheld, settle promotion arrears, remit all outstanding third-party deductions, release revitalization funds, and enhance budgetary allocation to education significantly.
Ariwodo voiced his disappointment that despite the union’s patience and ongoing attempts to resolve the matters, the government has yet to take any action.
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE PLAY STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON THE APP STORE
DOWNLOAD EXAM SCHOLARS 2025 CBT APP ON WINDOWS
VISIT EXAMSCHOLARS.COM for more info.
