Unpaid 13 months salaries for 1,000 ASUU members may spark another shut down of varsities, warns official

After a year-long shutting down tertiary institutions, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has again threatened to resume its strike over non-payment of salaries and remittance of check-offs of a 1,000 staff across the country for 13 months.

ASUU accused the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, of failing to carry out President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to pay the salaries and remittance of check-offs.

An indication to this effect was given by the ASUU Chairman, University of Jos branch, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, in a press statement.

“The AGF is creating discord between the federal government and the union which may lead to another round of strike that may spell doom for the education sector.

READ ALSO: Buhari orders immediate payment of ASUU members’ Feb., March withheld salaries

“Despite the directive given by Mr president to pay the salaries of all lecturers, the AGF has refused to pay their salaries ranging from four to thirteen months respectively. Many of our members in University of Jos and across the country have not been paid salaries from February 2020 to date.

“Mr. Ahmed Idris, from all intent and purposes, is bent on withholding the salaries of over 1,000 members of ASUU spread across the country with more than 100 of such lecturers being members of our Branch in University of Jos,” he said.

Maigoro added: “More worrisome is the fact that while the AGF is refusing to pay these salaries, his staff in the OAGF are busy calling the affected lecturers and insisting they have to register with IPPIS before they are paid.

“Some are even asked to forfeit a part of their salaries in order to be paid. So it is very clear that this is a deliberate act on the part of the AGF and his staff.”

Maigoro wants the federal government to prevail on the Accountant-General without further delay to avert another shut down of the universities across the country.