ASUU Threatens To Sue Federal Government As Government Announces To Pay CONUA Members Withheld Salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities is reportedly waiting to drag the Federal Government to court over its members’ eight months’ withheld salaries.

According to reports, ASUU will embark on legal suit against the government once the latter move to pay members of the union's faction, the Congress of Nigerian University Academics.

A human rights lawyer for ASUU, Femi Falana SAN, made this known in exclusive interview on Monday.

It would be recalled that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation has announced to pay the withheld salaries and allowances of lecturers under the aegis of CONUA.

This was contained in a memo addressed to the President, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, by the Director, Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Charles Wali.

Reacting to the plan by the government to pay CONUA members and leave out ASUU, Falana said, “We want them to pay the (CONUA) money. That is why we have not reacted.

“That (the payment) will form the legal basis for the government to now pay ASUU. We will now have the legal grounds to challenge them in a court of law. Through that, ASUU will be paid. They won’t have a choice. Let them go ahead.”

Meanwhile, on his part, Dr Sunmonu, the CONUA President, said that members of his union did not embark on strike and hence should not have their salaries withheld.

The Nigerian Voice had reported how the government withheld the salaries of Nigerian lecturers during the eight-month strike by ASUU.

The government also registered CONUA as a trade union with threat to deregister ASUU during the lingered strike.