The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) branch in Bauchi, has announced a withdrawal of services by its members in protest over the delayed payment of their June salaries.
Chairperson of the union, Dr. Angulu Haruna, made this known during a briefing with journalists at the ASUU secretariat in Bauchi on Friday.
Dr. Haruna criticized the Federal Government’s persistent delays in salary payments, describing the situation as a clear sign of preferential treatment against university lecturers. According to him, while other government agencies receive their wages promptly, lecturers at federal universities often have to wait well into the following month.
“Usually, our salaries spill into the first week of the next month, but recently, even that timeline has been stretched. When we inquire, we’re told it's due to our withdrawal from IPPIS. This has now become a pattern of marginalization,” he said.
The union leader revealed that ASUU’s National Executive Council had previously resolved to activate what it calls Active Non-Compliance (ANC) if salary payments are delayed beyond the third day of the new month. Under ANC, lecturers report to their offices but withhold teaching and other academic services.
“This is not a strike. We are present on campus, but we are not fulfilling our primary duties. No lectures, no academic supervision. If the government pays us, we will resume immediately,” Haruna emphasized.
Echoing these concerns, the immediate past chairperson of the branch, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, expressed disappointment over the recurring salary delays.
“It feels like a calculated move to punish us for rejecting IPPIS. There was a time we waited two weeks into the next month before being paid. This trend is unacceptable,” Inuwa said.
The union stressed that the ANC action would continue until salaries are paid and government obligations to the university system are fully met.
