Over the with withheld eight month (8) salary arrears of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the National Executive Council of the Union is planning to hold an emergency meeting soon.

Osun The Positive Voice gathered that, the date for the emergency meeting is yet to be decided by the National Executive Council, NEC of the union.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, Confirmed the development to Saturday Punch, he revealed that a date will soon be fix for the emergency meeting to discuss the eight months withheld salary of their members and will be made available to the public very soon.

He said, the Union National Executive Council had met earlier and we reached a resolution but will meet again soon, to know the next line of action to take as regards the withheld salaries of of members.

He said , the union has given more than enough time and period to the Federal Government of Nigeria to see if their will be any improvement or development as regards our demands, but it was so unfortunately that, till now, their is no update.

The eight months salary arrears is our right and entitlement, which must be paid to our members, he said.

As at not, the National Executive Council, NEC of the union is collating reports from our members in each branches across the nation. What u can assure you is that, we will meet very soon and take decision on this issue of withheld salaries, he said.

He said, the members of the union is going through hard time presently, the salary is their entitlement which they have the right to be paid for, but the Federal Government, FG said they did not do any work and were not going to be paid for.

Out members are doing the same work the Federal Government said they did not do and were not going to be paid for.

If you recall, Osun The Positive Voice Reports that that, the Federal Government of Nigeria has said the Government will not paid the lecturers the months they did not work for, (No work, No pay Policy). And the policy has been effective and taken into action last year, August 2022, when the Federal Government of Nigeria paid Lecturer Two weeks salary.

We resume in the interest of the country and with the hope that the Federal Government will pay our salary arrears, but they didn’t. What I can said is that, this will not be forever and we’re meeting very soon and decision will be make in the next National Executive Council of the union, he added.

He said the union will meet this month February, there is no direction on the discussions between the two parties as at this moment, Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities (Lecturers), our legal battle will continue this month February again.

While speaking on the withheld salary arrears, the Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Lagos, Dr. Dele Ashiru, said he was shocked and surprised that the Federal Government had yet to shift ground or call the union National Executive Council, NEC on the matter.

He also said, the Lecturers in University of Lagos are going through difficult time presently and has low their morale to go to class.

What do you expect to happen when you’re working and you’re not pay for your service.

It’s not to sorry because they cannot give what they don’t have. If we have leaders who are anti-intellectual, they can not respect or honour this who are intellectualism.

What am certain and sure about is about is that, the union National Executive Council will meet very soon and our struggle to fight for the right of our members will continue, as said by the President, the date for the next NEC meeting will be fix soon and whatever we resolute to in the meeting will be made available to the general public after the end of the meeting, he added.

A Lecturer from University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from department of Sociology, Prof. Ifeanacho Ikechukwu also added that, the lecturers are going through hard times because of the withheld salaries they’re owing them.

He added that, some Lecturers had taken up another Job aside lecturing, and some have have abandoned lecturing work, some have travel out of the country in other to survive.

We resume based on the understanding that we were negotiating with the Government that had ears to listen to our demands and conscience. But to our surprised the government is yet to shift ground on the matter, he added.

We resume based on the agreement and the intervention of the House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, but nothing is yet to be done and I don’t think they’re ready to do anything.

If you recall, The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU embark on a nationwide strike last year, from February 14, 2022 to Monday, 17th of October 2022, which made it 8 months and 5 days.