The Federal Government has provided an explanation for why it did not pay lecturers employed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) their full salary.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment issued a statement, on Saturday, November 5, noting that ASUU members had received a pro-rata payment of their October salaries.
According to the statement, pro-rata was used since it is impossible to pay for work that has not been completed.
The statement went on to say that Chris Ngige, the honourable minister of labour and employment, never gave the Accountant General of the Federation instructions to pay university professors half wage.
The statement reads in part, “Following the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the order of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, asking ASUU to go back to work, the leadership of the union wrote to the Minister, informing him that they have suspended the strike. The Federal Ministry of Education wrote to him in a similar vein and our labour inspectors in various states also confirmed that they have resumed work.
“So, the Minister wrote to the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, directing that their salaries should be restored. They were paid in pro-rata for the number of days that they worked in October, counting from the day that they suspended their industrial action. Pro-rata was done because you cannot pay them for work not done. Everybody’s hands are tied.”
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden would exert appropriate pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure free and fair elections in 2023, according to former Goodluck Jonathan adviser Reno Omokri.
Reno Omokri made this claim in an interview with Channels TV’s Politics Today, on Thursday, November 3, 2022.
“Atiku Abubakar’s visit was an invitation by the United States government to have a briefing with him. He met with the US Assistant Secretary of State. The meeting was hosted by the State Department. But there were several other people from different branches of the executive arm of the United States treasury, departments of justice, defence, etc.
“They talked about their plans and how they will liaise with Nigeria. And they want to hear from him, like how he intends to handle Nigeria’s US relationship. One of the things he talked about. He talked about the election and how to deliver free and fair elections.
“In the past, they (the US) waited until after the election before they intervened. But this time around, they are going to be watching for comments and actions that may lead to violence so that they would take action. So, what is the action they are going to be taking? There is going to be fair pressure directly from President Biden on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the elections are free and fair,” Omokri said.
