The Federal Government has commenced the disbursement of previously withheld salaries owed to lecturers affiliated with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
According to Mr. Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), the government has released two months' salary arrears to the affected lecturers, with another two months' tranche scheduled for release.
The government has committed to settling the eight months' salary arrears owed to university lecturers who participated in an eight-month strike during former President Muhammadu Buhari's tenure. While the remaining four months' salary arrears are yet to be addressed, Mokwa did not specify a timeline for their settlement.
Former President Buhari implemented a "No Work, No Pay policy" against some university lecturers who partook in the prolonged strike in 2022. Prior to the salary disbursements, ASUU members had threatened another strike if their withheld salaries were not paid.
However, only Federal university lecturers registered in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) are currently receiving payments. State universities fall under the purview of their respective state governments.
Despite President Bola Tinubu approval last October to release four months' worth of the withheld salaries, some ASUU members have reported receiving payments for only two months, leading to dissatisfaction among the academic community.
