Academic Staff of University of Cross River (UNICROSS) have expressed displeasure over nonpayment of their December salaries, saying they cannot enjoy the new year in abject poverty.
They wondered why they were left out when other state workers in MDAs and parastatals have been paid their salaries.
Speaking yesterday with LEADERSHIP Weekend on behalf of aggrieved varsity staff, a lecturer at the faculty of Information and Communication Technology, Dr Emmanuel Inyang stated that academic staff cannot be maltreated by authority of the state at this moment when everyone is celebrating.
“While most Cross Riverians, indigenes, residents and visitors are celebrating the ‘season of sweetness,’ UNICROSS staff are wallowing in misery as a result of unpaid four months’ salaries.
“While it is uncertain why these workers have not been paid their wages, there are speculations that the Cross River State governor has refused to release the monthly subvention of the university for the months of November and December, 2023.
“Management of the institution has claimed that the monthly subvention is not even enough to pay salaries, claiming that’s why it has not been able to pay arrears of salaries for April and May, 2022.
“In the midst of these, staff of the university are struggling to put the university on the world map by training and producing graduates that are capable of competing with their contemporaries all over the world.
“One would ordinarily consider this feat, one that the State government should pride in and work hard to sustain, but unfortunately, the reverse is the case,” Inyang maintained.
The academic don lamented that the state government had about a month ago given N10,000 palliatives to state workers but schemed out varsity staff without any cogent reason.
“One would wonder why the ‘sweet prince’ has decided to be ‘so bitter’ with UNICROSS,” Inyang stated.
Reacting, vice chancellor of UNICROSS, Prof Austen Amgbah, asked the varsity staff to remain calm as the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu has just released their November salaries.
“I am negotiating with the banks now so that staff can begin to receive their November salaries while salary for December would also be released from Tuesday,” the VC maintained.
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