ASUU strike: FG sets up fresh committee to review no-work-no-pay policy, others

The Federal Government is set to review some of its hard decisions against the Academic Staff Union of Universities, including the no-work-no-pay policy that have kept striking university lecturers and students at home for the past seven months.

This came on Tuesday where the FG disclosed that it could only afford a 23.5 per cent salary increase for lecturers of all categories, except professors.

Already, the government on Tuesday at a meeting with pro-chancellors and vice-chancellors of universities, constituted a 14-member committee, to review its decision not to pay the striking lecturers for the period they have been on strike and other contending issues.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, said at the meeting, which held in Abuja, that aside from the salary increment, the government made other offers regarding the demands of ASUU.

“That the Federal Government can only afford a 23.5% salary increase for all categories of the workforce in federal universities, except for the professorial cadre which will enjoy a 35% upward review.

“That henceforth allowances that pertain to ad-hoc duties of the academic and non-academic staff shall be paid as at when due by the Governing Councils of Universities to which such services are rendered and to the staff who perform them.

“That a sum of N150 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 budget as funds for the revitalisation of federal universities, to be disbursed to the institutions in the first quarter of the year.

“That a sum of N50 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 budget for the payment of outstanding areas of earned academic allowances, to be paid in the first quarter of the year.”

The Director of Press and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Bem Goong, who briefed newsmen on the decisions reached at the meeting, said the committee would also look into other contending areas of the renegotiation with ASUU.

He, however, said the issue of University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, as the payment platform for university lecturers, was not discussed at the meeting, adding that it was also not part of the issues the 14-member committee would tackle.

Goong, who did not reveal the duration of time given the committee to accomplish its task, said the report of the committee would be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari in no distant time for consideration.