ASUU: FG may pay CONUA members salary arrears, demands lecturers’ details

The Federal Government may soon pay some university lecturers the eight-month salary arrears owed them for the period the Academic Staff of the Universities (ASUU) went on a nationwide strike over welfare package and poor university infrastructure.

This indication emerged as the Federal Government, through the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, has requested the details of members of the Congress of University Academics for payment of withheld salaries.

CONUA, which had pulled out of ASUU, claimed its members were not part of the industrial action,  and threatened to sue the FG for withholding the salaries of its members.

The Punch in a report on Sunday quoted an FG circular dated January 13 as a response to a letter by CONUA that the union should send details of its members to the AGF office, apparently to guide the government in preparing the salary arrears.

The letter, signed on behalf of the AGF by the Director, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, Charles Wali, addressed to the CONUA President, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, stated, “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter on the above subject matter dated November 2, 2022 in respect of payment of your withheld backlog of salaries and to request you to provide soft copy of membership of CONUA across universities to enable payment as requested.

“Meanwhile, you may wish to forward the following details to facilitate seamless deduction and remittance of check-off dues: Evidence of registration; official account details of the union; membership list of the union, signed by each member; percentage of deduction (check-off dues)/amount to be deducted from each member; mode of remittance between the headquarters and local chapters.”

It also said the details should include individual IPPIS numbers for ease of identification.

The PUNCH reports that upon the suspension of ASUU’s eight-month strike, the FG had paid the lecturers on pro-rata basis, as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, maintained that the government could not pay for a job not done.

The action had angered ASUU and its members across the universities protested against it, with a vow to consider “appropriate options” to fight it.