Education Crisis: SERAP urges Buhari to direct Chris Ngige, AGF to reverse half-salaries paid University lecturers

*The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project states, ‘paying half-salaries to ASUU members solely for exercising their human rights (strike) is patently unlawful and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and international standards’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has knocked the Federal Government for paying half-salaries to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for October 2022.

ConsumerConnect reports the rights group has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari to direct Sen. (Dr.) Chris Ngige, Honourable Minister for Labour and Employment, to immediately reverse the deduction in the salaries of University lecturers in the West African country.

Recall the Federal Government recently paid half-salaries to members of the academic union for October this year.

Some professors were said to have received salaries ranging from N71,000 to N121,000 for the said month.

Recall that ASUU, On February 14, 2022, had embarked on strike and later suspended it October 14.

Nonetheless, while the industrial action lasted, the Federal Government has insisted that lecturers would not be paid for the period of the strike.

Why Federal Government paid lecturers half-salaries

Sen. Ngige, in justifying the government’s decision to deduct the University teachers’ salaries, said ASUU members were paid their October salary pro-rata.

The Minister stressed that pro-rata was done because the lecturers could not be paid for work not done during the over eight-month-long strike.

Government should reverse the ‘illegal deductions’ immediately: SERAP

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, however, in a statement issued Sunday, November 6, 2022, knocked the Federal Government for not paying the University teachers in full.

Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP Deputy Director, in the statement also asked President Buhari to direct “the Acting Accountant General of the Federation, Sylva Okolieaboh to immediately reverse the apparently illegal deductions from the salaries of members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for October 2022.”

The rights organisation also urged the Federal Government “to pay ASUU members full salaries for the duration of their strike.

“Paying half-salaries to ASUU members solely for exercising their human rights is patently unlawful and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and international standards.”

SERAP further stated: “The alleged deductions from the salaries of ASUU members also amount to punishing them for exercising their right to strike.

“The deductions are illegal and disproportionate.

“The deductions may also be construed as a deliberate attempt to take away the right to strike, and to make ASUU a lame duck.”

Oluwadare said: “The right to strike implies the right of workers not to be punished for striking. ASUU members do not, therefore, forfeit their salaries because they exercise their right to strike.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of this letter’s receipt and/or publication. “If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our requests in the public interest.”

The rights group noted: “Illegal deductions from the salaries of ASUU members may also violate the right to work, and to respect of the dignity inherent in a human being.”

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