Agency Report
Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has revealed that 84 of its members died between May and August due to economic hardship and unpaid salaries.
President of the union, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, made the disclosure during a television programme.
He said, “In the last three months, from May to August (2024), universities lost 84 academics to death. In three months, because of what our people are going through.
“Despite this crisis, you are holding somebody’s three-and-half or more salaries citing ‘no-work, no-pay,’ you are owing this money. People are trying to survive, you introduced fuel increase, electricity increase and everything is gone now.”
The president, who demanded increased funding for university education, said to get the sector functioning optimally, lecturers must be motivated, adding that he earns N420,000 per month despite being a professor for 15 years.
According to him, Nigerian lecturers cannot compete globally if they are not well-paid.
It would be recalled that on September 25, ASUU issued the federal government a 14-day ultimatum to resolve several lingering issues including the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement, as well as the release of withheld salaries due to the 2022 industrial action.
In 2022, academic and non-academic unions embarked on an eight-month strike to press home some of their demands including a better welfare package.
The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari subsequently invoked a ‘no work, no pay policy’ against the unions, but President Bola Tinubu, in October 2023, approved the release of four of the about eight months withheld salaries.
