President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the partial waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” Order that was instituted against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following the commencement of their eight-month industrial action which began on February 14, 2022, and was terminated on October 17, 2022.
The approval, which was contained in a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, given on a Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy, will see the university lecturers receiving salaries of four months out of eight.
According to the statement, the president granted the partial waiver with a mandatory requirement that both the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) that this would be the last of such waiver by the federal government.
The statement said: “Invoking the Principle of the Presidential Prerogative of Mercy, President Bola Tinubu has approved the partial waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” Order that was instituted against striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following the commencement of their eight-month industrial action which began on February 14, 2022, and was terminated on October 17, 2022.
“In view of his determination to mitigate the difficulties being felt during the implementation of key economic reforms in the country, as well as his recognition of the faithful implementation of terms which were agreed upon during the fruitful deliberations between ASUU and the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has directed the grant of an exceptional last waiver of the “No Work, No Pay” Order on ASUU, which will allow for the previously striking members of ASUU to receive four (4) months of salary accruals out of the eight months of salary which was withheld during the eight-month industrial action undertaken by the union.
“The president has directed the grant of the waiver with a mandatory requirement that the Federal Ministry of Education and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment must secure a Document of Understanding (DoU) establishing that this exceptional waiver granted by the President will be the last one to be granted to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and all other Education Sector Unions.”
President Bola Tinubu has also officially approved the sum of ₦35,000 minimum wage for all federal civil servants.
The approval was announced in a circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) on Thursday, Oct. 19.
The circular, which was signed by the NSIWC Chairman, Ekpo U. O, stated that the wage award is effective from Friday, September 1, 2023.
The circular reads, “I refer to the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday, 2 October 2023 as a result of the dispute arising from the withdrawal of subsidy on the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) and hereby convey the approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the grant of a wage award of N35,000:00 (thirty-five thousand Naira) only per month to all Federal Government workers with effect from 1 September 2023 pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.
“Accordingly, the implementation of the N35,000.00 per month wage award for all Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies that are treasury-funded will be funded from the treasury.
“Non-treasury funded Federal Government agencies are to implement the same from their internally generated.”
