Salaries shortfall: ASUU gives FG, states 14-day ultimatum

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday gave the Federal and State governments 14 days ultimatum within which to pay the shortfall in their salaries or face unrest in the nation’s universities.

It equally gave some state governments owing lecturers their salaries and allowances the same period within which they should commence the payment.

The Akure zone of the union at a press conference at the Federal University of Technology, Akure , FUTA, said; ‘’The government should not do anything that would plunge the university system into unnecessary chaos over the shortfall in salary payment.

PROTEST: Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, during a rally/protest to sensitize students and the public on the plight of academic staff in the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, yesterday. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele.
The Zonal Chairman of the union Dr Alex Odiyi said virtually all the universities in the country are experiencing shortfall in the payment of their salaries.

Odiyi said the public universities in Nigeria have begun to experience worse reductions in salaries components of their allocation with the consequence of receiving fractions or percentage reduction in their salaries.

According to him, most federal universities did not have capacities to make up for the shortfall in the salary component.

“This,’’ he said; ‘’Affected Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, OAU, FUTA, Ekiti State University, EKSU, University of Jos, University of Ibadan, UI, University of Calabar and ATBU, Bauchi.

He blamed the Governing Council of Universities for the problem saying they have not been performing their role of interfacing between the university administrations and the governments of both the state and federal levels.

ASUU also said the National Executive Council, NEC, of the body would be called to appraise the situation pointed out that the government should be held responsible for any distruption of academic calendar.