The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has stated on Tuesday in Abuja that the Federal Government was committed to increasing university lecturers’ remuneration packages.
Ngige spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the status of the Federal Government’s current engagement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
Yes, our university lecturers do deserve good pay, according to the minister. A worker is entitled to pay. So, if we compare what occurs in other areas and they are not adequately remunerated, there is nothing stopping the government from doing some compensation raise and making them happy within the limited resources we have.
So, while we are not opposed to it, there is a process in place which I have made known to them
Ngige stated that a deadline had been set for the conclusion of the draft proposal the union submitted to the Ministry of Education for their working conditions and wages.
He stated that when the relevant committee, chaired by the pro-chancellors, submits its report, it will be reviewed alongside the National Salaries and Wages Commission to ensure that the proposed allowances do not exceed the government’s existing fixtures.
Buhari, he said, was satisfied with his brief, and the 2020 December agreement with ASUU is on track for implementation.”
Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria slammed Education Minister Adamu Adamu for walking out of a meeting with representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students to discuss ASUU’s lingering strike on Tuesday.
The union called the minister’s actions ridiculous and threatened a solidarity strike with ASUU if the issue was not resolved within two weeks.