There was a screaming headline a few days ago that 2.3 billion naira has been released to pay promotion and other arrears of university lecturers, yet ASUU is not aware of this. The education minister followed up with a recent statement that the FG has satisfied all ASUU demands and that he is at the negotiation table. The contradiction is that if the demands have been met, then what is he still doing at the negotiation table? I am not sure whether his frequent misinformation in the media about ASUU is intended to gain public support.
But
come to think of it. What's the pride in withholding the promotions and other
arrears of lecturers? Should the payment of debt be seen as an achievement? Why
is it so difficult to give lecturers their dues? I was promoted from the rank
of Senior Lecturer to Reader (Associate Professor) effective from October 2017.
I have 2 and a half years' arrears that are yet to be paid. Even though the
naira devaluation has killed the purchasing value of the arrears, they are
still dragging their feet to pay money I worked for 5 to 7 years ago. Why do
ASUU need to declare a strike to be paid promotion arrears?
The
government awarded a 25/35% salary increase to lecturers effective from January
2023. Why is it difficult to pay the arrears from January 2023 to December
2024?
The
last time that the University workers' salaries were reviewed was in 2009. That
was when the salary of professors was equivalent to 3,000 USD. In the 2009
agreement, the salary was due for a review in 2013. Successive governments have
deliberately refused to review it. This is seen as an attempt to impoverish the
Nigerian academics. Why do they want academics to be poor? ASUU was forced to
go on strike for several months for that purpose. Rather than addressing the
issue, they deployed starvation tactics to make them poorer to kill their
voice. Our Kakistocrats ignore the multiplying effect of the FG's poverty of
sincerity.
They
are insisting on the offer of a 35% salary increment. The minister felt he had
done very well with the offer and had done the academics a big favour. That
means that a professor earning ₦570,000 at the moment will receive an increment
of ₦170,000 to earn a monthly salary of about ₦741,000. That's equivalent to
about 500 USD per month. We are to be excited about the peanut since academics
are now the new face of poverty. Chai! Academics done suffer!
Dear
minister, I know you will be in the news about ASUU anytime from now. But the
next time you speak to the press about ASUU, please mention the demands that
were met and what the government has offered to the university workers. Medical
Doctors are known to have terrible handwriting like mine, but they are not
known to speak in parables. They are known for Doctor-patient confidentiality
but they are not known for misinformation.
The
"Honourable" Minister, sir, salary arrears are a debt to be paid no
matter the worthlessness of the current value. Pay the debt without making
noise about it. Meanwhile, the headline that we want to read is that Nigerian
university professors now earn an equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 USD. You should
be proud to make such an announcement. With your recent love for the media, you
won't die if you are the one who breaks the news. As Comrade Chris Piwuan, the
ASUU President, has stated, "We are no longer going to apologise to
anybody that our salary must be improved, and it is as important as the
infrastructure aspect."
As the hands of the clock tick and we have about 2 weeks to the end of the 4-week ultimatum, I hope the government of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu will not force ASUU into an indefinite strike in 2 weeks. The government should understand by now that we are not afraid of strike action if that is the last available option and the minister's frequent use of the media to misinform the public will not stop the strike.
By
Prof. Abdelghaffar Amoka Abdelmalik, PhD.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
aaabdelmalik@abu.edu.ng.
Copyright © Amoka 2025
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