The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos Zone, has urged the Federal Government to pay its members a living wage rather than a minimum wage.

Lagos Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Adesola Nassir, made the demand during a press conference at the union’s secretariat, University of Lagos.

The call came two days after ASUU members in Lagos staged a peaceful protest at the university to draw the government’s attention to their plight and demand outstanding salaries owed to them.

Nassir argued that the current minimum wage was inadequate given the economic realities in the country.

According to him, the union has held several meetings with government agencies to push for the payment of promotion arrears of up to four years, arrears of wage awards, and palliatives. He noted, however, that “no payment has been made to date”.

[READ ALSO] Protest: Lecturers Have Demonstrated Enough Patience, Says ASUU President

He warned that ASUU reserved the right to embark on a nationwide strike at any time, stressing that “whatever happens next, Nigerians should hold the government responsible, not ASUU.”

Nassir also accused the government of undermining university autonomy by releasing funds directly to university staff instead of to the institutions, which he said ought to manage their own finances.

On the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund recently introduced by the government, he said the initiative, which was supposed to grant academics loans of up to ₦10 million for academic advancement, health, family and transport support, had been fully converted into loans that were largely inaccessible to ASUU members.

ASUU, he added, would resist any attempt to “rubbish their years of perseverance” or entrench poverty among its members, stressing that the union remains committed to protecting Nigeria’s university system for the greater good of the country.