Sen. Ali Ndume of Borno-South has demanded that the federal government of Nigeria cut lawmakers’ pay in half to comply with the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU)
Speaking on Thursday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, Ndume claimed that such action by the federal government would be in the best interests of the entire country.
TheCable had previously reported that after calling off their protracted strike, the lecturers received “half” of one month’s salary. Ndume suggested that in order to resolve outstanding issues, the ASUU leadership meet with a powerful standing committee of eminent educators and patriotic Nigerians.
“Even if it means that the national assembly will reduce sitting allowances or be paid on casual allowances basis whenever they sit at the lower and upper chambers, by cutting the recurrent expenditure in the budget of the federal lawmakers to settle the ASUU arrears, let it be. It will be in the overall national interest of Nigerians,” Ndume said.
“We only assemble twice or so per week and get paid as such. Civil servants who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic were paid their full salaries and allowances monthly.
“So, why will the federal government cut university lecturers’ salaries because they went on legitimate strike? Constitutionally, they are fighting for their privileges.
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“As a matter of priority and as public servants in the legislative chambers, we don’t work; so why don’t you just give us half salary and then pay ASUU.”
The lawmaker continued, saying that it was time to find a solution to the crisis, even if it meant borrowing money to fund the education industry.
“We are budgeting 20.5 trillion for 2023, I don’t see any reason why the government will not budge one trillion to address the lingering challenges of the education sector including ASUU strikes,” Ndume said.
“Eight months, students were at home doing nothing and they are the public and we are the public servants. In the budget for 2023, the overhead is 43 percent. If you can spend N8.3 trillion on public servants, why don’t you spend N1 trillion on public universities?
“Some of those involved in the negotiations do not have children in public universities. How can you be talking about something that you have no stake in? I don’t have a child in public schools, all my children are schooling outside the country; most politicians are like that too and they are the ones negotiating.
“With this, to me, we will not get anywhere. Even if we get somewhere, it will be temporary because other people will be playing in the gallery.
“Some of them will be claiming to be defending the interest of the federal government and the others will be pretending to be defending the interest of the masses and in the end, they are only playing to the gallery.”
