THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is currently not in good terms with the Federal Government. On Wednesday 15th of March, they gave the government a 14-day ultimatum to pay up salaries being owed to staff.

That means the Federal Government now has about 10 days to comply.

What should we expect from ASUU?

ASUU, as we've come to know, will most likely respond with protests and even more likely, a strike action. They didn't stop at the Federal Government alone. They also issued warnings to the state governments owing lecturers their salaries and allowances the same period within which they should commence the payment.

All of this went down at a press conference at the Federal University of Technology, Akure.

The ASUU zonal chairman, Dr Alex Odiyi, said:

"The government should not do anything that would plunge the university system into unnecessary chaos over the shortfall in salary payment."

He also added that most universities in the country are suffering from a shortfall of staff salaries. Basically, many universities have resorted to paying a fraction of the salaries they should be paying.

Affected universities, he said, include:

"Affected Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, OAU, FUTA, Ekiti State University, EKSU, University of Jos, University of Ibadan, UI, University of Calabar and ATBU, Bauchi."

He didn't forget to hold the Governing Council of Universities, federal and state, for not performing their role as the bridge between the Universities and the government.

ASUU also said the National Executive Council, NEC, of the body would be called to appraise the situation pointed out that the government should be held responsible for any disruption of academic calendar.