By Gami Tadanyigbe
The Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja branch, on Friday staged a peaceful protest at the institution’s Mini Campus over withheld salaries.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protest was held against the maltreatment of lecturers through the ‘No Work No Pay’ policy and court order that mandated the lecturers back to classes.
The branch chairman, Dr Kassim Umaru, who spoke during the protest that tool place immediately after its congress called on well meaning Nigerians to task the federal government to honor the unions demand.
Umaru said university lectures are not casual staffers and can’t be paid half salary, while saying that the National Executive Council of ASUU will decide on an action if the government failed to addressed the issues.
He called on the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila to honor agreement reached with the union, saying that the union was forced to the classroom through a court injunction.
“We are here this afternoon to show our displeasure to federal government that is is not all over by forcing us through Court injunction, by intimidating us by holding our salaries.
“We are not going to give up untill federal government of Nigeria do the needful by paying our withdrew salaries and by also honouring the agreement signed in 2020.
“This government has signed several agreement with our Union, not once, not twice, not three times but refused to honour out agreement.
“We are telling the Nigerian public, the traditional rulers, the religious leaders, well meaning Nigerians, the students, the parents that all is not well in the Nigerian universities.
“They must pressurise this government to do the needful by honouring the agreement, by paying our salaries.
“We are not casual workers, they must pay us. We are frustrated and we can no longer take it, enough is enough and we are not going to give up, this government is barbaric, reckless, and senseless to humanity.
“We are not going to take it and we are registering our displeasure that Nigerians should know that anything that happens, ASUU should not be called for anything.
“The speaker has intervened and we have given him the honour but the federal should go what it has said.
“If the federal government is adamant the NEC of the union will go back to drawing board, access all the issues and we will take the necessary action,” he added. (NAN)
