‘Ignore Ngige, pay varsity lecturers full salaries,’ Falana tells Buhari

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana (SAN), on Sunday, kicked against the payment of half-salary to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The Ministry of Labour and Employment had said on Saturday that the government pro rata the ASUU members’ salaries based on the number of days they worked last month.

Falana, who reacted to the development in a statement, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and the pay lecturers their full salaries.

He described as unacceptable the payment of lecturers’ salaries based on the work done.

The lawyer said: “The position of the Federal Government is factually faulty and legally misleading. Since the industrial action was called off, the public universities have adjusted their calendars to ensure that the 2021/2022 academic session is not cancelled. Consequently, students are currently taking lectures or writing examinations that were disrupted during the strike of the ASUU.

“Therefore, having regard to the facts and circumstances of the ASUU strike, the doctrine of ‘no work, no pay’ is totally inapplicable as students who were not taught during the strike are currently attending lectures and writing examinations.

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“ASUU recently called off its eight-month-old strike in compliance with the order of the National Industrial Court and the Court of Appeal. We are therefore compelled to call on President Buhari should ignore the advice of Dr. Ngige and direct the public universities to pay the full salary of each lecturer from February to October 2022. Otherwise, the Federal Government will be accused of engaging in the selective application of the ‘no work, no pay principle which is discriminatory and illegal.

“It is pertinent to draw the attention of the Federal Government to section 42 (1) of the Constitution which provides that citizens of Nigeria shall not be subjected either expressly or in the practical application of any law in force in Nigeria or any executive or administrative action of the government, to disabilities or restrictions to which other citizens are not made subject; or be accorded either expressly by, or in the practical application of, any law in force in Nigeria or any such executive or administrative action, any privilege or advantage that is not accorded to other citizens.

“In view of the foregoing, since the Federal Government is mandatorily required to treat all workers equally the members of ASUU are entitled to be treated like members of the NARD after they had called off their strike. In other words, as members of ASUU and NARD are entitled to equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law the lecturers should be paid their salaries withheld during the period of the recently suspended 8-month industrial action.

“However, in view of the undeniable fact that the members of the two newly registered unions in the universities were on strike like members of ASUU the plan of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to pay the Congress of University Academics their withheld salaries and rectify the ‘half salaries’ paid to all lecturers under the newly registered union should be shelved. Otherwise, the provocative agenda will cause a fresh industrial action in public universities.”

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