Strike: ASUU Berates Ngige On Biased Salary Payment.
By Onuminya Ochowechi In Sokoto
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Usman Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS) frowned at the attitude of the minister of Labour and employment Dr Chris Ngige for facilitating biased and selected payment of seven months backlog salaries to professional medical members of ASUU in the university.
At the press conference at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) secretariat in Sokoto on Wednesday the chairman of the union in the University Prof Nura Mustapha said the action of minister is to further polarize and sectionalize the ASUU in the branch.
Prof Mustapha noted that the minister based his action that when other lecturers were on strike the medical lecturers were at work.
“Let me inform you during the strike all lecturers including the medical lecturers of the university were also on strike he queried.
He maintained that the minister having realised his failed attempt to divide the rank and file of ASUU , specifically targeting UDUS branch for obvious mischievous reasons has now come up with another treacherous move aimed at further dividing the union.
He disclosed that further investigation revealed that the selected payment was made due to a letter written to minister of finance exempting some lecturers from the application of no work no pay rule.
He stated that the press conference is to put the record straight and expose the heinous activities of minister of labour and employment , a medical doctor, approved the salary payment of members that are only medical doctors in the university , just as to favour his professional colleagues with the intention of sabotaging the union in all front and further creates disharmony in the university system.
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He explained that the minister treacherously used the position of those staff as consultants with the teaching hospital to argue for the payment which is completely a different case with their role and membership of university Community as academics staff.
He challenged Ngige or any one in the labour ministry or Medical and Dental consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH ) to produce any factual evidence that any one had ever work during the strike.that warranted the selective release of their salary.
He lamented that the Minister is using his good office to settle some personal scores against certain segment of academic Staff that are not his professional colleagues.
He enjoined President Muhammadu Buhari as a matter of urgency call the minister of labour and employment Dr Chris Ngige to order before his bias actions sets the peace clock backwards again and plummet the labour sector into another crisis.
