As the strike embarked by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU, heads to its 8th month, the Federal Government of Nigeria has debunked claims made by university lecturers that they are yet to be paid for eight months.
The claims were debunked by the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba who described them as false, stressing that some lecturers got excess salaries and had to refund it to the government.
Asides claims of non payment of salaries, the striking lecturers have also expressed reservations over the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) into the educational system.
Amid the controversy over IPPIS and ASUU’s preference for University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), the union’s President, Biodun Ogunyemi accused the federal government of withholding the salaries of lecturers for eight months.
Responding to the claims, Nwajiuba said:
“I think it is a lie to say the government has not paid them in eight months. It will be unfair to the government and wouldn’t be necessary to bring that kind of argument because some people may have different levels.
“Some people even got salaries that were not adequate. Some people got over and had to refund. There were so many issues with it,” he said.
