The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) leadership has refuted any knowledge of President Bola Tinubu’s directive to pay four out of eight months of withheld salary arrears to its members. The denial was made by the National Vice President of ASUU, Prof Christopher Piwuna, during an interview with journalists. This took place on the sidelines of a scholarship presentation event for university undergraduate students in Bauchi Zone, held at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Yelwa Campus, Bauchi.
Tinubu had previously approved the partial waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” order imposed on striking ASUU members after their eight-month strike. This strike began on February 14, 2022, and ended on October 17, 2022. Despite this, ASUU claims to have no knowledge of the developments regarding the partial payment of the salary arrears.
Prof Piwuna, responding to inquiries about the status of the four-month salary arrears, asserted that ASUU has no awareness of any such actions by the government. In a separate address at the event, Professor Nanmwa Voncir of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, criticized student union representatives for failing to prevent the escalation of public university fees. He expressed concerns about the potential impact on students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, urging student bodies to collaborate with ASUU in advocating for proper university funding.
He also expressed disappointment at the student leadership’s compromising stance, which he claimed led to the recent arbitrary increase in school fees at various universities across the country. Voncir emphasized the need for student representatives to oppose policies that are detrimental to student welfare and cited a previous instance where the student leadership supported a fee increase at ATBU, a stance initially opposed by ASUU.