Unpaid Salaries: 84 Lecturers Died in Three Months – ASUU

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that about 84 of its members died in three months over unpaid salaries. 

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s socio-political programme “Inside Sources” with Laolu Akande, the ASSU President,  Prof. Emmanuel  Osodeke highlighted the pressing conditions of the University staff. noting that the government however has continued to withhold salaries, implementing policies such as fuel and electricity price hikes amid ongoing financial struggles.

Osodeke further  criticized the Federal Government’s “no-work, no-pay” policy, which affects salaries during strikes. This is even as he called for increased funding for university education, emphasising that to ensure the sector’s optimal functioning, lecturers must be adequately compensated.

Furthermore,  Osodeke stated that, after 15 years as a professor, he earns only N420,000 per month, making it clear that Nigerian lecturers cannot compete globally without better financial support
 
In his words:
 “In the past three months, from May to August 2024, Nigerian universities lost 84 academics to death because of what our people are going through. And despite this crisis, you are holding somebody’s three-and-a-half or more salaries on the no-work, no-pay. People are trying to survive, and everything is gone now.”

Read Also: Nigerians Will Appreciate Me Soon – Tinubu