By Alade Adisa
For not getting their June salaries over a week into the new month, members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, have gone on strike in some federal universities.
The universities are the University of Jos and the University of Abuja, among others.
The development, it was gathered, was in line with the resolution of the National Executive Committee of the union that anytime their salaries are not paid within three days of the start of another month, the workers would embark on a ‘no pay, no work’ policy.
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Already, ASUU branches at the University of Jos and the University of Abuja have begun the strike in compliance with the directive.
ASUU National President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development in Abuja, describing the move as a response to the recurring financial hardship lecturers face due to persistent delays in salary payments.
He attributed the worsening situation to the federal government’s transition of university payrolls from the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) to the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
Prof. Piwuna condemned what he called the “nonchalant attitude” of key government officials toward the welfare of university lecturers.
He said, despite efforts to engage the Minister of Education and the Office of the Accountant General, the union had seen “no meaningful progress.”
“Our members are experiencing hardship. Salaries are often delayed by a week or more. At NEC, we agreed that if salaries are not paid within three days of a new month, members should withdraw their services,” he stated.
He dismissed claims of technical issues with GIFMIS, insisting the delays are the result of deliberate negligence by the Office of the Accountant General.
“When funds are eventually released, there are no complaints of underpayment or technical failure. The system works; it’s the handlers who are stalling. We believe this delay is intentional,” Piwuna added.
He also raised concerns about the outstanding N10 billion in Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed by the federal government. He noted that although N50 billion was initially pledged, only N40 billion had been disbursed.
“We expect the remaining N10 billion to be paid without further delay to prevent another round of agitation,” he warned.
In Jos, ASUU branch chairman Dr. Jurbe Molwus confirmed that lecturers had withdrawn their services in line with the NEC resolution.
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He added that a strike monitoring team has been activated to ensure full compliance and stressed that continued delays in salary payments would result in sustained industrial action.
At the University of Abuja, ASUU members also downed tools, while branch chairman Dr Sylvanus Ugoh could not be reached for comments, the university’s spokesperson, Dr Habib Yakoob, declined to speak on the issue, referring all inquiries to ASUU leadership.
