By John Ikani
The Federal Government of Nigeria has explained the reason for the payment of half salary to lecturers claiming they were paid for the number of days they worked in October.
ASUU had embarked on strike on February 14. Following a series of discussions with the government, coupled with a court order, the university lecturers ended the eight-month-old strike and returned to their classrooms on October 14.
Earlier in the week, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, had expressed bewilderment at receiving half salary for the month of October which many took as a sign of the government reneging on the terms of the mediation brokered by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Responding, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment issued a statement on Saturday noting that the lecturers “were paid in pro-rata for the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action.”
The statement clarified that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige, never directed the Accountant General of the Federation to pay the university lecturers half salary.
The statement reads in part: “Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike. The Federal Ministry of Education wrote to him in a similar vein and our labour inspectors in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.
“So, the minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored. They were paid in pro rata to the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action. Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”
