The federal government led by President Bola Tinubu has commenced the payment of outstanding salaries owed to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), according to multiple reliable sources.
Confirming the news, Gbolahan Bolarin, the chairperson of ASUU at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, stated, "Yes, it is true. Payment has started rolling in," in an interview with Punch.
This move follows President Tinubu's approval in October 2023 to release four out of the eight months' salaries that were withheld during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The withholding of salaries was a consequence of the 'No work, no pay policy' invoked by the Buhari administration against certain university-based unions during an eight-month strike in 2022.
Additionally, Minister of Education Tahir Mamman disclosed that the government has implemented a 35% increase in salaries for university workers.
Moreover, autonomy has been granted to universities by removing them from the Integrated Payment and Payroll Information System, relieving them of the need for waivers to recruit and fill vacancies.