Former senator that represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani has slammed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for justifying the half salary paid to ASUU members in October.
Newsonline reports that Shehu Sani said there is no justification for the decision of the Federal government to pay members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) half their salary in the month of October after the two parties had agreed that the eight months salaries will be paid.
ASUU, a body of university lecturers had embarked on strike on February 14 to press down their demand for improved welfare of lecturers and more investment in the education sector.
After eight months of industrial action, the Federal government and ASUU reached an agreement for the lecturers to return back to classes.
The Federal, however, paid ASUU half salary for the month of October, stating it would not pay for the eight months the university lecturers were on strike.
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In a statement released on Monday, Gbajabiamila said the government did not pay for the eight months ASUU was on strike to ‘prevent moral hazard’.
The House of Reps speaker further stated that not paying ASUU for the months they were on strike was to discourage disruptive industrial actions.
“Executive position that it is not obligated to pay salaries to lecturers for the time spent on strike is premised on the law and the government’s legitimate interest in preventing moral hazard and discouraging disruptive industrial actions,” Gbajabiamila said.
Reacting to Speaker’s statement on Monday, Shehu Sani argued that since lawmakers do not receive half salaries when they miss sittings of the house, even without giving reasons, there is no justification for not paying ASUU their full salaries.
“A system where no legislator is paid half salary for absence from the chamber during session, even for no valid reason, the speaker is justifying half salary for the university lecturers,” Sani said.
He further disclosed that many lecturers have also confirmed that what they received were far below what should be half salaries.
He added, After my last tweet, a University lecturer called me to tell me that he was paid 40k and not “half salary”; No Clerk or Gardener in the Presidential villa or National Assembly is being paid such a paltry sum.”
