ASUU ATBU berates FG over delayed salary payment, withdraws services

Armstrong Allahmagani

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi Branch, has lamented over the Federal Government's delay in the payment of their June salaries.

The Chairperson, ASUU, ATBU Bauchi Branch, Dr. Angulu Haruna, who stated this in an interview with journalists at the Union's Secretariat, on Friday, said that the Union has therefore withdrawn its services.

Haruna said that the Federal Government's delay in paying them their salaries monthly is a deliberate act which shows that other organizations are more preferred than ASUU.

He said: "Usually, our salaries always span into the first week of the next month. While other government organizations are being paid, the Federal Universities would be left out and not be paid.

"Whenever we ask, they'll always tell us that it is because of our migration from the IPPIS, and we see that there is a preferential treatment against us but in favour of other organizations.

"During one of our National Executive Council Meetings, it was resolved that it the government fails to pay our salaries between the 1st and 3rd of the next month, the branches have been directed to activate the ANC. 

"This is the Active Non-Compliance. This means that we will come to work but we will withdraw our services, we will not enter the classrooms to teach. We will not attend to our primary duties and that is the situation we are currently in at the moment."

The ASUU Chairperson explained that what the Union is doing is not a strike action but carrying out a directive of its National Secretariat to push the government to fulfill its obligations towards the university lecturers.

He said: "This one is not a strike action. This ANC means that we are active but we are not complying to our primary duties. We are not attending to the services that are expected of us. We did not close down the school and as you can see, we left the comfort of our homes and are here. 

"This action will continue until the Federal Government does the needful and pay us our salaries. As I speak with you, if our salaries are paid at this moment, we will return to the classrooms to teach."

Also speaking, the immediate past Chairperson of the Branch, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, said that it is becoming a tradition that the lecturers are not paid when they are supposed to be paid.

Inuwa said: "Going by what is happening, it looks to us as if they are trying to punish us for pulling out of the IPPIS and this is very unfortunate.

"There was a month we spent up to two weeks into the next month before we were paid our salaries. If they pay us, we will resume our work but for now, we are not entering the classrooms to teach but we will definitely go to work.”