Govt denies owing OOU teachers’ salary arrears

The Ogun State government has debunked claims by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) chapter, that the State government owes its members salaries for 16 months.

The lecturers are on an indefinite strike based on allegation that the government owes them 16 months salary arrears as well as inadequate funding of the institution by the government.

But the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Modupe Mujota in a statement in Abeokuta said the recent recognition of the university by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as the best state university in Nigeria punctured the notion that the state government had not done enough to revamp the institution.

According to the statement, the government had always met its contractual obligations to the staff of the institution but would “not be railroaded into executing a contract it did not enter into with the academic union”.

“We state categorically that we do not owe the teachers as alleged. They should provide any evidence of the contractual obligation the state government has breached with regard to their salaries and allowances,” Mujota said.

On payment of Earned Academic Allowances being demanded by the lecturers, the government denied ever entering into any such agreement with the union and tasked the academic body to provide any proof to the contrary.

The statement added, “Education remains the first cardinal programme of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s administration. This is the reason why the sector has always received the lion’s share of the state’s annual budget. Government is committed to its policy of regular payment of salary in spite of the current financial challenges across the country.

“Ogun State Government therefore calls for the understanding of the striking lecturers and implores them to return to classes while Government weighs its options.