The least is yet to be heard in Nigeria as the effects of the bad economy keep biting Nigerians.
While Nigerians, particularly the Medical Doctors,Nurses and other health workers leave the country in droves for greener pasture in the Western World, those who lack the capacity to move are dying on daily basis.
Inline with the foregoing, The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone, has lamented how the union has lost 45 to cold hand the ongoing economic hardship in the country, alongside poor remuneration of academicians and universities in the zone.
The Abuja Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Salihu Muhammed Lawal, who disclosed this on Monday to Journalists in Abuja, revealed that the union lost several members due to herculean working conditions, psychological and emotional stress and diseases related to poor working conditions.
“In fact, just two days back the union lost an eminent Professor of Fisheries, Johnson Oyero, of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, due to inability to afford quality medical care,” Lawal pointed out.
According to the Coordinator, the 46 deceased academics are from the University of Abuja; Federal University of Technology, Minna; Federal University, Lafia; Nasarawa State University and Ibrahim Babaginda University, Lapai, Niger State adding that
“In the last decade, more Nigerian academics are leaving the country in droves in search of greener pastures, thereby overworking the patriotic ones that remain in the system whose level of patriotism is dwindling on a daily basis due to poor remuneration and working conditions,” he said.
Lawal however decried payment of their members what he described as “an amputated two-month salaries by the federal government out of the seven and half months withheld salaries.
He said despite the order by President Ahmed Bola Tinubu for the release and payment of their withheld salaries, of which the value had reduced to a quarter of what it was as in 2022, some of his members reportedly received an amputated two-month salaries, while many were yet to get anything.
He called on the federal government to sign and implement the Prof Nimi Briggs committee’s renegotiation agreement and immediately pay all the withheld salaries, promotion arrears and Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
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