Education
Half Salary: ASUU To Take Final Decision Today

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), is set to meet today at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja to decide the fate of Nigerian students in public universities.
The ASUU emergency NEC meeting is to discuss the way forward, as the union will reveal its stand over the issue of half salary paid to members by the federal government.
According to some ASUU leaders, members are advocating for another round of strike if payments for their salary backlog is not made.
The academic union leaders revealed that as the case is now, the decision lies with lecturers whether or not to resume because some ASUU branches across the nation have held congresses to decide on the next steps to take.
In the midst of all the agitations, a member of the ASUU NEC who pleaded anonymity stated, “Officially, the national body did not tell branches to hold congress, but many of them started calling meetings following the receipt of the amputated salary by the government. We don’t have to go on strike; there are lots of options available.
“We can decide to stay at home, we can decide to seize results, or we can decide to cancel the session since the government won’t pay the withheld salary and we can’t work for months that we weren’t paid for,” the source said.
Meanwhile, as members await the decision of the union’s leadership today, some branches like the University of Jos (UNIJOS), have already given a sit-at-home order to its members, while the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University is advocating for the cancellation of 2021-2022 academic session, and their colleagues in the Gombe State University resolved that the examination results of students be seized.
The ASUU chairman, of the University of Jos, Dr Lazarus Maigoro, in an interview said, “For us in the University of Jos, we are not going to the classroom to teach the students but will remain at home.
“That is not to say we are on strike yet. It is only the national body of ASUU that can declare whether members should embark on a fresh strike or not.
“We will let you know when the union will meet and take a decision on the matter.”
However, AfricaNews24 learnt that the branch chairman of the ASUU at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Dr Christian Opata, who fears there is an opportunity for another strike said it awaits the leadership of the union to decide today.
