The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has appealed to the Kogi State Government to reinstate 120 academic staff of Kogi State University (KSU), Anyigba sacked in 2017.

Chairman of the University of Nigeria (UNN) ASUU chapter, Onyibo Eze stated that the appointment of the 120 lecturers was terminated for participating in the six-month local strike at the university between February and July 2017, to demand payment of arrears of salaries.

Eze insisted that the affected lecturers have suffered enough since the forced termination of their appointment.

He said: “They embarked on that strike following inability to pay their arrears of salaries and emoluments,  earned academic allowances owed its members, proper funding of the institution, university autonomy and guaranteeing of academic freedom among others.

“The strike action took place after several attempts were turned down by ex-Gov Yaya Bello for the union to negotiate with the government.

“Rather the governor during the strike proscribed ASUU-KSU and terminated the appointments of the 120 academic staff of the university, which became a subject of litigation.

“Even in the industrial Court of Nigeria both Kogi State Government and the KSU Management brought no allegations against the 120 sacked staff as the only argument of being on strike cannot fly,” said.

Onyibo expressed sadness that, as a result of the unlawful retrenchment, four senior members of the affected KSU staff have died due to the hardship and psychological trauma they passed through during the period of the sack.

“It is unfortunate that these four ASUU members died in the struggle to demand for their rights as well as the welfare of other members,” Onyibo said.

“It is worthy of note that the same government of Gov. Bello that sacked the 120 academic staff for embarking on strike set up a Visitation Panel that recommended the immediate reinstatement of the sacked staff.

“But the ex-governor failed to implement this recommendation of the Visitation Panel till he left office.”

The UNN-ASUU chairman appealed to the incumbent governor of Kogi State   Ahmed Ododo, to use his good offices to reinstate the sacked academic staff as recommended by the government’s Visitation Panel.

“UNN chapter of ASUU is making this appeal because KSU is part of Nsukka Zone of ASUU, whatever affects  KSU-ASUU affects all of us in Nsukka ASUU zone,” he said.

“This will not only heal the wounds of 7 years of the affected lecturers but would also redress the injustice meted out to these innocent lecturers as well put smiles in their families.”