The nationwide protest called by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) to demand the release of their three and half months salaries withheld by the federal government disrupted academic activities at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu -Alike Ikwo (AE-FUNAI), Ebonyi State on Tuesday.
The Union also demanded the re-negotiation and implementation of the 2009 agreement between ASUU and the federal government.
The lecturers, who trooped out in their numbers were seen marching round the two campuses of the University, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with various inscriptions to press home their demands for improved condition of service.
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The protest which lasted for over 4 hours witnessed heavy presence of security personnel who escorted the protesters to ensure that hoodlums did not hijack the peaceful protest.
The Chairperson of ASUU AE-FUNAI, Comrade Louis Omenyi, accused the federal government of paying lecturers “obsolete and expired” salaries, describing it as unacceptable.
“No academic activity will be permitted in this university today (Tuesday). We allowed our Vice Chancellor to be in office because he is a Comrade Vice Chancellor.
“Federal government of Nigeria must re-negotiate completely, accept and implement 2009 agreement with our union and the federal government.
“The salaries we are getting is obsolete and expired. We are asking that our three and half months salary withheld by this wicked government should be released immediately.
“We are asking the federal government of Nigeria led by (President) Bola Ahmed Tinubu that if he allows universities to close in Nigeria, we will do more than Ghana. We are asking that our withheld salaries should be released,
“Our EAs should be mainstreamed into our salaries as he promised. We are asking that university autonomy and academic freedom should be granted,” he said.
Omenyi insisted that the lecturers rejected the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan (TISSF), adding that, “it was meant to put us in chains like the students NELFUND that was also introduced. That move will make both the lecturers and the students not to rescue each other.
“This so-called TISSF or better called” slavish loan “is the height of the mockery. “It an insults to our sensibilities. A government that pays her workforce with outdated salary structure adopted 17 years ago, will refuse to re-negotiate the same salary since 2012 when it was due.
“They also refused to release three and half months salaries of the lecturers, refuse to remit third party deductions for some of the salaries paid almost a year ago, refused to pay promotion arrears but chose to dangle an unattainable loan at the faces of devastated lecturers.
“We are asking again, how would government turn round to offer the impoverished workers impossible and slavish loan in a depressed economy instead of completing formalities for implementation of a commensurate salary structure?
“How can a responsible government, in the face of these debts owned university lecturers turn around to ask university-based unions to take the responsibility of guaranteeing the loan she wants to offer to workers? Which salary will be used for the repayment?”, he queried.
