Why Striking ASUU Members Should Not Get Paid – Minister

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, May 4th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba has stated that striking ASUU members should not be paid.

Nwajiuba disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking about the ongoing strike in an interview with The Punch.

He said: “The lecturers have continued to earn salaries while on strike; it doesn’t make sense to earn salaries when you have refused to work.

“If you refuse to even pay them, by the time they call off the strike, they will still come back to fight for the payment of the period they refused to work.

“You can air your grievances, come to the negotiation table without refusing to work. The issue of the strike has become a thing of concern. I have four children; two have graduated while the other two are still in public universities. I feel for them, I feel for other students who are at home. I feel the same way other parents feel, but can I bring money from my house and give it to ASUU?

“The Ministry of Education isn’t the employer of the lecturers, we are a supervisory body, and there is no way we can fire or hire someone. Universities have governing councils that supervise the activities that go on, our job in the ministry is to supervise, we can’t meddle in.”