IBB university lecturers go on strike over N530m allowance

The Academic Staff Union (ASUU) of

The University ASUU chairman, ‎Dr Salahu Lawal told the News Agency of Nigeria in an interview on Saturday, March 17, that the decision was taken after the expiration of the week-long warning strike embarked by the union on March 7.

Lawal said that the state government invited the academic staff union executives over the issue, but the government was not willing to pay the allowances.

“Niger state government begged us that it will pay N350 million while we forfeit N150 million; we cannot afford such a loss, it is huge.

“This is the money we worked for and it has to be paid us in full; actually, they wanted to pay us but they insisted in paying N350 million; that is a breach and we are not going to take it.

‎“This money we are asking for is accrued money from our allowances, this money we earned it, we are not begging for it.

Lawal also said that some their members have died while waiting for their money adding that he had a moral burden to negotiate on the matter because the children of the deceased were anxiously expecting the money to off-set a lot of debt.

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‎“They said they do not have money to clear the backlog, we are not going to accept their offer. They want us to forfeit part of the money we cannot because some of our members died while waiting for this money.

‎”I am sure if they had paid this money, some of them would have used it for their medical care and may not have died.

‎“We have a moral burden not to negotiate on this matter because many of our members have died while waiting for this money,’’ he said‎.

Niger government offers N350 million out of N530m

However, Mr Jide Orintunsin, the Senior Media Assistant to Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state, while appealing to the union said the debt was incurred by the previous administration.

He, therefore, urged the academic staff of the university to consider the government's offer of N350 million out of N530m it's owing the union members.