Tola Badejo, a professor of zoology at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), claims that lecturers and professors at Nigerian institutions cannot both be subject to the Federal Government's "no work, no pay" policy.
In light of the ongoing turmoil in the country's university sector, he made the remark on Wednesday during an interview with Channels Television's Sunrise Daily.
Why should we create a new committee to investigate something that is so obvious? Professors and university lecturers are exempt from the adage "No work, no pay," according to Professor Badejo.
The amount of work we perform overall does not include teaching. We mark scripts, grade tests, and do research. No professor or lecturer will stop conducting research due to a strike; we work every day, from dawn to dusk.
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| ASUU National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, briefs reporters on the lingering strike by the union in Abuja on July 19, 2022. |
Since ASUU members, who are professors, began their strike on February 14, academic activity in the country's government-owned institutions have been halted.
Since several discussions between the government and the union have failed, this protracted issue has kept students out of class for close to seven months with no resolution in sight.
The government's most recent effort to guarantee that order is restored at the universities is the creation of the tactical committee to examine the "no work, no pay" decision.
But Professor Badejo, who is also a union member, feels that more has to be done by the government to enhance the university system for high-quality education.
"In my department, each professor is responsible for carrying out the duties of four lecturers, and that