The statement by the ministry, however, noted that all academic activities were grounded during the period of the prolonged strike.
The Congress of Nigerian Universities Academics (CONUA) has appealed to the Nigerian government to pay its members' eight months' salaries withheld during the industrial action called by its counterpart- the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which grounded activities in Nigerian public universities.
According to a statement by the spokesperson for the education ministry, Ben Goong, CONUA's National Coordinator, 'Niyi Sunmonu, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu.
The statement said Mr Sunmonu also appealed to the government to look into ways of improving the condition of service of academic and non-academic staff of universities, which he said has deteriorated due to the fuel subsidy removal.
"The union reasoned that there was a need to revisit the issue of the eight-month salary arrears that arose from the last strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), arguing that members of the Congress of University Academics did not go on strike," the statement stated.
Mr Goong noted, however, that all academic activities were grounded during the period of the strike.
Meanwhile, Mr Sununu appealed to students, parents and lecturers to maintain peace and shun acts capable of disrupting the academic calendar on their various campuses.
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He noted that his ministry is having constructive dialogue and consultation with stakeholders over the welfare of students, and staff, as well as the provision of infrastructure in tertiary institutions.
Background
In 2022, the Nigerian government invoked the No Work, No Pay policy during the February to October industrial action embarked upon by staff unions in Nigerian public universities.
The strike by ASUU and non-teaching staff unions including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Academic and Other Allied Institutions (NASU) grounded activities in the country's ivory towers.
Throughout the industrial action, CONUA --a new lecturers' union-- insisted that it was not a party to the strike.
Seven months into the strike, the government recognised CONUA as a labour union. The union said it started its process of registration four years before, in 2019.
The government of former President Muhammadu Buhari, however, stuck to its resolve not to pay the university workers until his tenure ended.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
