They also threatened not to supervise postgraduate theses if the school administration fails to pay their August and September salaries.
Lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University Branch have threatened not to release their students’ first semester results.
They also threatened not to supervise postgraduate theses if the school administration fails to pay their August and September salaries.
The lecturers made this known in a circular released on Wednesday jointly signed by Suleiman SalihuJauro PhD, the Union’s Chairperson and Mohammed GarbaNdogu, the Union’s Secretary.
The circular reads: “University branch at its meeting held today, Wednesday 2nd November, 2022 received the report of the engagements between the branch's leadership and the University administration over the release of the withheld salaries. After exhaustive deliberations, the Congress therefore, resolved that given the University administration's refusal to release the August and September salaries, members shall;
“(i) Not Submit The Results Of The First Semester Examination For The 2021/2022 Session.
“(ii) Not Continue Undergraduate With And The Supervision Postgraduate Of Both Projects Allocated Prior To The Commencement Of The Strike Action.”
It was learnt that the lecturers were on a solidarity strike which lasted for eight months with their colleagues nationwide and this was why the state government decided to withhold their salaries, adopting a ‘no-work-no-pay’ policy.
In a related development, SaharaReporters earlier reported that there is a likelihood of another industrial action in Nigerian universities as the national body of ASUU is set to hold an emergency meeting following the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to pay the lecturers half salaries for October 2022.
This was made known by the union’s national president, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, in an interview with SaharaReporters on Friday morning.
On Thursday, SaharaReporters reported how members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) received alerts for 18 working days in the month of October.
ASUU called off its eight months strike on October 14, 2022, and lecturers were encouraged to resume work by the union on the same day.
A senior member of the ASUU National Executive Council was quoted saying, “We were only paid for the days after the strike. I received a half salary. Other members are angry right now, they are blaming the NEC for calling off the strike.”
Another member, who confirmed the development, said, “Yes, it is true, I received half salary. It seems the government is set to kill unionism in the country but we are ready for them.”
When asked how ASUU would react to the development, Osodeke told SaharaReporters that their decision would be revealed after their National Executive Council’s meeting.
“When we meet, you will know our decision on it,” Mr Osodoke told SaharaReporters.
He further added that details of the meeting would soon be disclosed in a circular.