Nigeria / ASUU: Gbajabiamila appeals for calm, says Buhari will intervene soon. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to remain calm in light of their recent outcry over the Federal Government’s payment of half their salaries in October.

Gbajabiamila said in a statement he personally signed on Monday that efforts were underway to find a long-term solution to the concerns frequently raised by ASUU.

ASUU, which recently sponsored an 8-month strike, had expressed concerns about its members receiving half their salaries in October.

However, while appealing to the academic staff to remain calm, the speaker stated that President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed interest in addressing the latest concerns raised by the union.

“When the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off their industrial action three weeks ago, it meant that academic activities in our nation’s public universities could resume, and students could return to their academic pursuits after the prolonged interruption,” he says. This decision was rightly hailed as the correct one throughout the country. Since then, the Executive and House of Representatives have worked to resolve the issues that prompted the strike. We are currently working on the 2023 Appropriations Bill, which includes N170 billion to provide a level of increase in university lecturers’ welfare packages. The bill also includes N300 billion in revitalization funds to improve federal university infrastructure and operations.

“Additionally, the House of Representatives met with the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and other stakeholders to facilitate the incorporation of elements of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System” (IPPIS). Rep. Aminu Suleiman, Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, is in charge of this effort.

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Gbajabiamila explained that the Executive Branch of government’s decision not to pay university lecturers for the time they were on strike is based on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions.

“However, interventions have been made to explore the possibility of partial payments to the lecturers,” he added. We anticipate a favorable response from His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who has expressed a desire to do what is prudent and necessary to resolve all outstanding issues.

“Implementing meaningful change takes time, particularly when appropriations and changes to systems like IPPIS are required.” As a result, I urge all parties to be patient and grant each other the presumption of goodwill to the extent required to achieve our common goals. This is not the time for political bluffing. There is no more pressing goal than avoiding further disruptions to the academic calendars of the universities. “We must all work together to avoid this possibility by all means, as these disruptions risk the promise and potential of our nation’s youth.”