River of Tears as 21 Professors, Senior Lecturers Die Over ASUU Strike
- 21 senior lecturers, including professors, have reportedly died at the federal university of Calabar in Cross River state
- The report added that the development is the same across universities across the country
- Their deaths were due to the non-payment of their salaries by the government, as many of them do not have money to cater for different health challenges
Calabar, Cross River - More than 21 professors and senior lecturers have lost their lives at the federal university of Calabar, Cross Rivers state.
According to Vanguard, the academics died due to the prolonged industrial actions embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Source: Twitter
The paper added that the death toll increases every day in different universities across the country.
How unpaid salaries are causing lecturers' deaths across universities
The report added that ASUU has recorded unexpected casualties because many lecturers lost their lives due to unavailable funds to care for their immediate needs, particularly health challenges.
PAY ATTENTION: Subscribe to Digital Talk newsletter to receive must-know business stories and succeed BIG!
It added that some non-teaching staff have died because of their financial deficiencies because the government has stopped their salaries.
Citing a reliable source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, in the federal university, 21 teaching staff of the UNICAL have lost their lives.
The statement reads in part:
“In the University of Calabar alone, we have lost over 21 teaching staff. We have also lost non-teaching staff.
“When SSANU and NASU suspended their own strike, it was reported at that time that 21 lecturers lost their lives and from then till now, more deaths have been recorded.
“The reason for this ugly development is lack of money. Apart from the young one that died as a result of a gas explosion in his house, most of the death was due to a lack of money to address their health challenges.”
ASUU finally reacts to FG’s directive to VCs, says universities were never closed
Legit.ng earlier reported that ASUU has dismissed the directive of the federal government asking vice-chancellors of universities to reopen the tertiary institutions across the country.
The union president, Emmanuel Osodeke, said Nigerian universities have never been closed, only that its members have boycotted lecture theatres to press home their demands.
Osodeke maintained that the lecturers are unbothered about that directives, and they will continue to pursue their demands until the federal government do the needful.
Court orders ASUU to end strike, gives strong reason
The striking universities' lecturers, ASUU, have been directed by the national industrial court to return to classrooms after seven months of lecture boycott.
The industrial court sitting in Abuja gave the verdict on Wednesday, September 21, noting that national interest is at stake.
Justice Polycarp Hamman invoked section 18 of the trade dispute act, which empowered the court to order an end to the strike when national interest is at stake.
Source: Legit.ng
