By Abubakar Yunusa Ojimaojo
President Bola Tinubu has approved the partial waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” order preferred against the members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
ASUU commenced an eight-month strike on February 14, 2022, and ended the industrial action on October 17, 2022. The then President, Muhammadu Buhari, had invoked the ‘no work, no pay’ to compel the university teachers to return to their classrooms. Since then, the lecturers have yet to be paid during the period of the strike.
However, respite came for the lecturers on Friday as presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, saying a partial waiver has been given over the order.
Ajuri said the waiver “will allow for the previously striking members of ASUU to receive four months of salary accruals out of the eight months of salary which was withheld during the eight-month industrial action undertaken by the union”.
He said Tinubu invoked the Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy, seeking 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 deliberations between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria”.
Tinubu approved 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 establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the President will be the last one to be granted to ASUU and all other education sector unions.