Notwithstanding protests by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) against alleged payment of incomplete October salary, the federal government, Wednesday, remained adamant, insisting that it would not pay for service not rendered.
Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, expressed the federal government’s position on the renewed face-off with ASUU after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Newsmen had requested the Minister to speak on the insistence by the lecturers to protest on a work-free day against the federal authorities’ decision to pay its members pro-rata, accusing the government of attempting to turn university lecturers to ‘casual workers’.
Responding, however, Adamu said “the strike has been called off and the government has paid them what is due to them. I think that’s the position of the government; that it is not going to pay anyone for work not done and they only did, I think, the number of days that they were paid.
“How can anybody make a university lecturer a casual… Do you know the meaning of casual worker? If you know the meaning of the casual worker, it is impossible to make a university lecturer a casual worker,” he said.
Asked whether the federal government would be disposed to taking steps to assuage the ASUU and stave off further hostilities, the Minister said “I don’t understand, is there any problem now?”
Reminded that the lecturers planned work-free-day, he said “Oh? Okay, I’m not aware. I’m not aware. That they are going on strike? No, nobody has told me.
“So, let’s wait till the work-free-day comes, then I’ll find out the details and we’ll discuss, you can ask me then, but at the moment, I’m telling you honestly, I do not know that there is a problem,” he said.
Asked to speak on the claim by the President of the ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodoke, that the union only had an agreement with the Minister of Education and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, not with the Minister of Labour and Employment, Adamu said “I cannot add any light on something that I did not know.
“And since they said they have no business with the Minister of … Did they show you the agreement? Well, I’m not aware that there’s any agreement between us,” Adamu said.