The federal government has commenced the payment of salaries previously withheld from members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to ASUU president Emmanuel Osodeke, the union has received reports of its members receiving “one or two credit alerts.”
However, specific details are still being confirmed.
A lecturer at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, confirmed that some colleagues have received two months’ salaries, with many using Access Bank for transactions.
In 2022, ASUU embarked on its 16th strike in 23 years, lasting eight months.
The National Industrial Court (NIC) halted the strike in September 2022, pending a lawsuit, with the government enforcing the “no work, no pay” policy.
In May 2023, the court upheld the government’s decision.
However, President Bola Tinubu waived part of the policy in October 2023, releasing four months’ withheld pay to lecturers.
Presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale stated that this waiver aims to ease challenges during key economic reforms.
The education and labour ministries are tasked with securing a document of understanding (DoU) to ensure this is the final waiver granted to ASUU and other education sector unions.