From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) chapter on Tuesday protested the part payment of their October salaries and backlogs of 8-month salaries of its members by the Federal Government.
Speaking to reporters shortly after their congress before embarking on the protest rally around the university, Dr. Christian Opata, the chairman of ASUU-UNN, said that the aim of the congress was to get the input of members on the issue.
He said that the rally was to notify the university community and the general public of the inability of the federal government to pay ASUU backlog of 8-month salaries and to protest the half salary paid to members when they suspended the strike.
Opata said also that the union agreed at the congress to continue to teach, but will not release the result of any exam or allow the school senate, and faculty board to seat and approve any result.
“All lecturers have been directed not to release the results of the course they handle or participate in senate and faculty board meeting to approve any result until the federal government do the needful.
“ASUU is saying no to the federal government policy of no work, no pay, and if they insist on the policy ASUU will not handle any academic activity that falls within the 8 months of the strike.
“ASUU wants the government to honour its agreement with the union and stop further attempts that will keep Nigeria students away from school,” he said.
The ASUU branch chairman described as unfortunate the attempt by the government to treat lecturers as labourers by using the so-called “Pro-Rata” format to pay them their October salary.
“This is the first time in the history of this country that university academic staff are paid as casual workers, which is an indication that this present administration in the country has no regard for education,” he said.
Opata, however, threatened that if the government failed to do the needful that ASUU is determined to embark on what will be known in Nigeria’s history as the mother of all strikes.
“If the government thinks that implementing their policy of no work no pay and withholding our salary will prevent us from embarking on strike again, it is a big lie, because if the government failed to do the needful, very soon ASUU will return to back to indefinite nationwide strike,” he said.
Daily Sun reports that the peaceful protest which started from the faculty of Social Science to the administrative block and around the major roads in the university, had ASUU members chanting solidarity songs, bearing placards with different inscriptions such as;
We say no to intimidation by the government, kill education kill the nation, Our government does not honour agreement, No pay no academic results, Say no to Pro-Rata,
Pay us our salary backlogs, We are not labourers, Enough is enough, mother of all strike loading…, among others.
It would be recalled that the public university academic union has been at loggerheads with the federal government when the union suspended its eight-month strike in October following an order by the National Industrial Court for the lecturers to return to work.
The Government, however, activated its “no work, no pay” policy by paying ASUU members a fraction of their monthly salaries in October, which triggered the protest, and threat to embark on strike again.