A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to stop provoking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in a dispute over wages.

Mr Falana, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the lecturers should be paid their full salaries for months they were on a strike action.

ASUU members were on strike between February and October, crippling academic activities in public universities across the country.

The academics called off their eight-month strike on October 14 after the National Industrial Court ordered the lecturers to resume.

In early November, the Federal Government paid half-salaries for the month of October, angering the academics.

“The doctrine of ‘no work, no pay’ is totally inapplicable to” ASUU members, Mr Falana, a counsel to ASUU, said on Tuesday.

He argued that the lecturers still have to cover the work missed between February and October.

He said, “By virtue of Section 43 of the Trade Dispute Act, during strikes, workers are not suppose to be paid. But the law has to be interpreted having regards to the facts and circumstances of every strike.

“In this particular instances, the period of eight months of the strike of ASUU is being factored into the amendment of the calendars of all the public universities in a way that the lectures that the students missed are being covered now.

“The students are going to write their examinations at the end of the day. It’s very crystal clear that the 2021-2022 academic session has not been canceled. In otherwords, the lecturers are working. The lecturers are trying to cover the period that was lost. So, the doctrine of no work no pay is inapplicable,

“We are asking all Nigerians who mounted pressure on ASUU to call off the strike . . . all of us have a duty to prevail on the government to stop provoking the lecturers,” Mr Falana said.