Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) employed by the Federal Government will receive half of their overdue salaries, pending President Bola Tinubu’s approval.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday night.
According to Mamman, non-academic university staff did not go on strike in 2022, unlike their academic counterparts.
He said the government has been “doing everything possible to get relief for them.”
Speaking on the delayed payment to NASU and SSANU members, Mamman said, “No, it has not been approved.
“There is a court judgment on no work, no pay. ASUU getting four months’ pay was actually a discretion and decision on the part of the President. So, it doesn’t automatically transfer (to NASU and SSANU) but the matter is under consideration.”
He said, “I don’t think it is safe to put a time on it but it’s safer to say that we are on it and we are pushing.
“And in any case, the non-academic staff, they were not on strike for the same period with the academic staff — about four months or so. So, if they are getting payment, it is going to be half of that (payment), if the President will follow his precedent with the academic staff.”
Speaking on the claim of discrimination by NASU and SSANU, the minister said, “That cannot be right, there is no rating. These are people working in the same terrain, they are doing different things but all working towards the same goal.
“I believe what happened was a communication problem initially, it wasn’t deliberate to exclude them from that benefit.”
