Lawyer says payment was illegal

A lawyer, Frank Tietie, on Monday filed a suit at the National Industrial Court, Abuja against the Minster of Education, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, National Universities Commission, NUC, and the National Salaries and Wages Commission, over the payment of a five-month salary arrears to university lecturers.

The Federal Government in December paid members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, salaries owed the lecturers during the period when they were on strike. ASUU had embarked on the strike, that lasted almost six months, on July 1, 2013, over the non-implementation of a 2009 agreement it had with government.

In his suit, Mr. Tietie asked the court to give an eight-day notice of summons to the defendants, beginning from January 6. He also demanded the court determine whether members of ASUU were entitled to be paid for the period of time they were on strike and to declare the payment illegal, contrary to law and amounting to a misappropriation of the national commonwealth of the country.

Mr. Tietie also asked the court to order that the money be retrieved from the lecturers.