Gombe Varsity Lecturers Embark On Indefinite Strike

Gombe State University (GSU) lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday declared an indefinite strike over the failure of the government of Gombe State to provide their demands.

LEADERSHIP gathered that this was the first time since the establishment of the university, the lecturers embarked on an internal strike.

Addressing a press conference at the university, the chapter chairman and secretary of the union Suleiman Salihu Jauro and Mustapha M. Shehu, respectively, explained that the reasons for the industrial action by the union was due to non implementation of the 2021 Memorandum Of Action (MOA) between the union and the Gombe State government on increased funding for the university.

Other issues are; non payment of accumulated Earned Academic Allowances, non institutionalisation of training fund for sponsorship of academic staff for higher degrees, non implementation of the consequential adjustments in minimum wage to N30,000, non implementation of the 35 per cent and 25 per cent wage award for academic staff, non payment of arrears of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 promotions, and non release of the white paper on the 2023 visitation to the university.

Clarifying further, they said it was agreed that the state government would add the sum of N10 million to the monthly subvention being disbursed to the university to make the institution function well but lamented that the government paid the money ‘only in January and February, 2021.

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According to them, the underfunding of the university by the state government made it difficult for the university to meet its financial obligations, forcing it to introduce departmental fees which they said complicated financial burdens on students.

“The members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University branch have endured a debilitating working conditions in the university for too long as a result of issues of inadequate funding, non implementation of the content of the 2021 MOA, and refusal to implement current salaries table for academics in Nigerian universities.

“The union has sought for amicable resolution of the issues by requesting for the intervention of eminent personalities in the state with no tangible outcome,” they pointed out.