The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the submission of Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a condition for payment of the withheld February and March salaries of university lectures.

The ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists in Abuja Wednesday, described the condition as unacceptable.

Ogunyemi said: “We appreciate Mr. President for doing that, however, withholding February and March salaries was unnecessary in the first place.

“In the second place, the issue is the condition attached to it, which does not go down well with our members, which is the supply of their BVN.

“Our members are being paid in the past without asking for their BVN.

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“So, we have reasons to suspect that this is an indirect way to get us back to IPPIS, which our members rejected.

“So, these are things we are going to clarify with the government whenever we are called for a meeting.”

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said on Tuesday President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the payment of the lecturers’ salaries which were withheld over their failure to enroll in the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

ASUU embarked on an indefinite strike on March 23 over the government’s failure to address outstanding issues raised in the FGN-ASUU 2019 Memorandum of Action and its objections to IPPIS. (NAN)

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