ASUU-ATBU withdraws services over delayed June salary

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi Branch, has announced the withdrawal of its members’ services due to the Federal Government’s delay in paying June salaries.

Speaking to journalists at the union’s secretariat on Friday, the Branch Chairperson, Dr. Angulu Haruna, described the delay as a deliberate act of neglect, accusing the government of giving preferential treatment to other sectors while sidelining university lecturers.

“Our salaries often come late, sometimes not until the second week of the following month. While other government agencies receive prompt payment, federal university staff are left behind. The explanation given is always tied to our exit from the IPPIS platform, but we see it as targeted discrimination,” Haruna said.

He revealed that during a recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, ASUU resolved to adopt Active Non-Compliance (ANC) if salaries are not paid between the 1st and 3rd of the new month. Under the ANC directive, lecturers report to work but withhold their core academic duties such as teaching and attending to students.

“This is not a strike. We are on campus, but we are not fulfilling our teaching obligations. If our salaries are paid even today, we will return to the classroom immediately,” Haruna clarified.

Also speaking, the immediate past Chairperson, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, lamented the recurring delays, suggesting that the pattern may be a form of punishment for ASUU’s withdrawal from the IPPIS payment system.

“There was a time salaries were delayed for up to two weeks into the new month. This has become the norm, and it’s unacceptable. We’ll remain at work but will not teach until our salaries are paid,” Inuwa affirmed.

The union urged the Federal Government to urgently address the payment delays, warning that the current action would persist until their demands are met.