The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has promised the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that President Muhammadu Buhari will resolve the complaints over the payment of half month’s salary by the Federal Government.
Gbajabiamila revealed this yesterday while appealing to the union members to remain calm.
ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke had at the weekend flayed the half pay, saying it was regrettable that the Federal Government was treating university teachers like casual workers.
But in a statement yesterday, Gbajabiamila said that intervention had been made by the House to explore the possibility of partial payments of the outstanding salaries (February to October 13) to the lecturers.
The statement he signed reads: “When the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off their industrial action three weeks ago, it meant that academic activities could resume in our nation’s public universities, and students could return to their academic pursuits after the prolonged interruption. This decision was rightly heralded nationwide as the correct decision.
“Since then, the Executive and the House of Representatives have worked to address the issues that led to the strike. We are currently working on the 2023 Appropriations Bill, which includes N170 billion to provide a level of increment in the welfare package of university lecturers. The bill also includes an additional N300 billion in revitalization funds to improve the infrastructure and operations of federal universities.
“Furthermore, the House has convened the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of elements of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS). This effort is being supervised by the Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Rep. Aminu Suleiman.
“Nonetheless, interventions have been made to explore the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers. We look forward to a favorable consideration by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, who has manifested his desire for what is prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.
