Favour Oyinade
The Minister of Education Adamu Adamu says the Federal Government will not pay members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for the eight months they did not work while on strike.
Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday at the Presidential villa, Abuja, after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), he said: “the lecturers would not be paid for work not done.”
Reacting to protest by ASUU members over what they called the pro-rata October salary payment which they described as amounting to turning them into casual workers, Adamu Adamu said: “nobody can make university lecturers casual workers.”
When told lecturers planned to hold a 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.
“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.”
Also, asked to speak on the claim by ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, 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 do 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.”
