Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities have threatened to resume their strike over non-payment of salaries which they suspended three months ago.
Ayo Akinwole, chairman of ASUU at the University of Ibadan, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Akinwole said Nigerians should blame the Federal Government if universities are shut down again.
ASUU suspended its strike on December 24, 2020, after nine months, after the government accepted its terms for ending the action.
ASUU alleged that within two weeks of the conditional suspension, the Federal Government breached the terms of the agreements, among which was the payment of the lecturers’ six months’ salaries, including December 2020 salaries, owed lecturers.
“While ASUU as a union and her members as individuals in various branches have remained faithful to this agreement by returning to classes and performing their respective duties, the Federal Government, true to type, has reneged on its part,” Akinwole said.
“Contrary to FGN affirmation of its commitment to pay all withheld salaries of ASUU members who have not enrolled in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information system (IPPIS), three months after the suspension of Strike, thousands of ASUU members across various branch are still being owed salaries.
“Instead of deploying the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) software developed by ASUU, which has been adjudged effective for payment of salaries, some of our members are still being denied their salaries and others are being coerced by agents of the government to register on the repressive IPPIS for payment of salaries.
“The Union ASUU and her members are made to suffer from all the aforementioned attacks by the federal government while the public expects our members, some of who now live on the charity of family members and colleagues for survival to use their personal resources to discharge their duties diligently in the universities.
“These harsh conditions would have terrible consequences on public tertiary education in Nigeria and when push eventually comes to shove, as it definitely will in no distant future, the Nigerian public should accordingly blame the Federal Government for its insincerity.
“Blame the federal government of Nigeria if the universities are shut down again.”
