Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman
The Federal Government has said that members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union will get half of their withheld salaries should President Bola Tinubu approve the payment of their salary arrears.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, said this on Wednesday on a Channels Television programme: “Politics Today.”
Mamman said the non-academic staff members of universities were not on strike for the same period in 2022 as their academic counterparts, the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
He said the government has been “doing everything possible to get relief for them.”
When asked what has delayed the payment to NASU and SSANU members, Mamman said: “No, it has not been approved.
“There is a court judgement 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.
“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 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 follows 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.”
