One of the prominent Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has kicked against the demand of the Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige in respect of the payment of salaries to UNIZIK lecturers.
In a press release by The Cable, it was reported that Dr. Chris Ngige requested that the outstanding salaries of Nnamdi Azikiwe University College of Health Sciences lecturers should be paid
The Minister of Labour, he reported that the lectures of UNIZIK actively performed their duties during the elongated strike period of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
READ ALSO: ASUU STRIKE: MAINTAINING SANITY
Falana counters the demand
Meanwhile, the aforementioned strike was embarked on in 2022 over the non-implementation of their demands by the federal government and amazingly the strike lasted for about eight months.
Hence, the federal government ordered that the ASUU lecturers will not be paid a salary for a period during which they did not work. They described the policy as No work, no pay.
But since then, members of the union have been at loggerheads with the government as they demand payment during the duration of their industrial action.
Ngige, on the other hand, claimed the UNIZIK lecturers worked during that period therefore they should be paid but Mr. Femi Falani objected to his claims.
READ ALSO: ASUU Suspends Eight-month-old strike
ASUU: A tussle of pain over the future of Nigeria students
Meanwhile, After eight long months of academic war, university students have hope in continuing their respective academic activities.
Eight months isn’t a short time to imagine how long the Nigerian students have been away from studying, many stayed idle for that long, swinging back and forth on the internet, and some had learned vocational courses.
It’s been a challenge for parents, students, and even the big lions – ASUU and the FG – fighting themselves over the industrial strike.
