Not less than 30
lecturers in the six universities in the Calabar zone of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) have allegedly died in the past one year.
The Coordinator
of the zone, Prof. Nsing Ogar, told journalists yesterday that their deaths
“may not be unconnected with the strangulating cuts in their salaries.” Ogar
explained that “16 lecturers died last year while five have died since the
beginning of the year, “ while the ASUU Chairman in Uyo zone, Dr. Aniekan Brown
added, “seven of our colleagues have died since last year.”
He disclosed
that the shortfall in the emoluments of ASSU members since 2015 had risen to
hundreds of millions, which has made it difficult for them to live decently.
According to him, the issues involved are “the incomplete payment of salaries,
non-implementation of promotion, non-remittance of statutory deductions to
unions, co-operative societies and creditor banks with which staff have
commitments.”
Ogar and the
chairmen of University of Calabar zone of ASSU, Dr. Tony Eyang, his
counterparts in Cross River University of Technology, Dr. Emmanuel Ettah and
Dr. Aniekan Brown (University of Uyo) signed the union’s statement.
They said: “Only
fragments of salaries have been paid to staff, with some universities paying
between 80 and 90 per cent from December 2015 to January 2017. To complicate
the insensitivity to the plight of workers in the academia, the government
further cut February salary by about 30 per cent in what appeared to be an
onslaught against the university system.
The leaders
threatened that a strike may be inevitable if the government failed to find a
solution, regretting that the governing councils of universities were
indifferent to the matter.
Also, the ASSU
in Benin zone yesterday gave a 14-day ultimatum to the governing councils of
universities in the zone to pay the shortfall in the salaries. The Coordinator
of the zone, Prof. Anthony Monye-Emina said the deficit was a threat to the
peace in the university system.
The universities
under the zone are the University of Benin, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma,
Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State University of Science and
Technology, Delta State University, Abraka and the rFederal University of
Petroleum Resources, Warri.
Meanwhile, the
beneficiaries of N-Power teachers’ initiative in Edo State have protested
against the non-payment of their monthly stipends. Mr. Isaiah Okpako, who led
the protesters to the state secretariat of the Union of Journalists (NUJ), said
over 450 beneficiaries from Egor, Oredo and Ovia South West local council areas
were not paid since their enlistment in the Federal Government’s scheme.
But the state
Coordinator of the project, Samuel Uhunmwangho, urged them to be patient as the
payments were ongoing. In Delta State, the ongoing teachers’ strike took a
twist yesterday as members of the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of
Teachers (NUT) chased out those who resumed duties and locked the school gates.
The union vowed
not to suspend the strike until their demands were met. Governor Ifeaanyi Okowa
had threatened to invoke the ‘no work, no pay’ proviso against them if they
failed to suspend the strike.
While the pupils
who resumed for studies were also chased away by the NUT members, only those
who are currently writing the West African Examinations (WAEC) were allowed
into the schools after showing their identity cards.
Source: Guardian
News
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