Gbajabiamila Tells ASUU to remain calm as FG Insists on Paying Half Salary

 BY: News Peddlers

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to remain calm in the face of the Federal Government's refusal to pay them half their salaries.

The Speaker noted that efforts to find long-term solutions to the concerns frequently raised by ASUU were ongoing in a statement he personally signed in Abuja on Monday.

He claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed a desire to address the union's most recent concerns.

"When the ASUU called off its strike three weeks ago, it meant that academic activities in our nation's public universities could resume," he said.

He stated that the executive and the House of Representatives had worked together to address the issues that led to the strike, and that the House is currently working on the Appropriations Bill for 2023.

According to him, this includes N170 billion for an increase in the welfare package for university lecturers.

He stated that the bill included an additional N300 billion revitalisation fund to improve federal university infrastructure and operations.

"Furthermore, the House of Representatives has convened the Accountant-General of the Federation, AGF, ASUU, and other stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of elements of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS," he said.

Rep. Aminu Suleiman, Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, he said, was supervising the effort.

Mr Gbajabiamila, on the other hand, stated that the executive's position that it is not required to pay lecturers' salaries for time spent on strike is legal.

He also stated that the decision was based on the government's legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive labor actions.

The speaker stated that an intervention had been made to investigate the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers, and that it hoped for the president's favorable consideration.

He stated that Mr. Buhari had demonstrated his willingness to do what was prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.

Mr Gbajabiamila stated that the house is holding a national summit on Tertiary Education Reform and has requested papers and memoranda from members of the public.

He stated that submissions and expert presentations at the summit would inform policy recommendations and actions.