Tinubu orders payment of lecturers’ salaries withheld over strike

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the partial waiver of the “no work, no pay” order instituted against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following the commencement of their eightmonth industrial action, which began on February 14, 2022 and terminated on October 17, 2022.

The president ordered the payment of four months’ salaries out of the eight months withheld by the past administrationn.

Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced this in a statement on Friday. He stated that the president invoked the principle of Presidential Prerogative of Mercy.

The president directed the grant of the waiver with a mandatory requirement that the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the president would be the last one to be granted to the ASUU and all other education sector unions.

In a related development, President Tinubu also approved the waiver of the “no work, no pay” order that was instituted against striking members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on August 1, 2023 following the commencement of their industrial action, which began on July 26, 2023.

Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, announced this in a statement yesterday.

He stated that the president invoked the principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy for the doctors following a fruitful deliberation with the NARD.

He said members of the NARD would receive the salaries previously withheld during their 17-day strike action.