Gbajabiamila Never Assured That ASUU’s Unpaid Salaries Would Be Paid
Speaker of the House Femi Gbajabiamila never pledged to pay off wage arrears owing to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, according to House of Representatives spokesperson Benjamin Kalu (ASUU).
Remember that the previous ASUU strike lasted from February 14, 2022, until it was called off on October 14, 2022.
To end the eight-month strike, Gbajabiamila arranged a number of meetings and talks between ASUU and the federal government.
Information According to reports from Nigeria, Gbajabiamila was criticized by ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke for allegedly misleading the union into calling off the strike on the promise that their wage arrears would be reimbursed.
However, a response from the Kalu read: “On Tuesday, December 27, 2022, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), granted an interview in which he accused Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, of using deceit to persuade the union to end its strike action.
He charged especially that the Speaker broke his written promise to the government to immediately balance the arrears of wages owing to union members for the period they were on strike.
For the record, the Speaker of the House of Representatives never agreed to pay union members’ back pay for the period they were on strike. By promising to increase the benefits package for university professors and committing revitalization funding to enhance the facilities and operations of federal institutions, the House of Representatives contributed to ending the strike. These commitments are reflected in the 2023 Appropriation Bill, which includes three hundred billion naira (N300,000,000.00) in additional revitalization funds in addition to one hundred and seventy billion naira (N170,000,000,000.00) to provide a level of increase in the welfare package of university lecturers.
In order to facilitate the adoption of components of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, the House of Representatives continues to work with stakeholders, including the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) (IPPIS). Rep. Aminu Suleiman, chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, is in charge of this endeavor.
