President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate release of four months’ withheld salary to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which came as a result of their eight month-long strike in 2022.
The federal government had consequently imposed its “no work, no pay” order, which denied the university teachers their salary.
But according to a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), Ajuri Ngelale, in “invoking the Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy,” the President has approved the partial waiver of the order.
It said the action was to mitigate the effect of the ongoing economic reforms in the country and in recognition of the faithful implementation of the agreement reached between the federal government and the union.
The statement recalled that the “No Work, No Pay” Order that was instituted against striking members of the ASUU following the commencement of their eight-month industrial action which began on February 14, 2022 and was terminated on October 17, 2022.
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The statement added: ‘In view of his determination to mitigate the difficulties being felt during the implementation of key economic reforms in the country, as well as his recognition of the faithful implementation of terms which were agreed upon during the fruitful deliberations between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the grant of an exceptional last waiver of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ Order on ASUU, which will allow for the previously striking members of ASUU to receive four (4) months of salary accruals out of the eight months of salary which was withheld during the eight-month industrial action undertaken by the union.
‘The President has directed the grant of the waiver with a mandatory requirement that the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the President will be the last one to be granted to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and all other Education Sector Unions.’
Africa Today News, News York reports that the university lecturers are yet to embark on a strike this year.