…Urges Abia govt to address lecturers’ grievances

The 2027 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Chief Eric Opah, has called on the state government to urgently engage the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU) chapter, and resolve the grievances that led to the declaration of an indefinite strike.

Opah, in a statement, said the strike had brought to the fore concerns over the welfare of lecturers at the university, urging the government to establish the facts surrounding the issues raised by the union and provide a credible path towards resolving outstanding obligations.

According to him, the grievances reportedly include unpaid salaries, delayed promotions, unimplemented salary agreements, outstanding allowances and unremitted deductions, among others.
He said: “These are not political talking points. They are human stories.

“Behind every unpaid salary is a family. Behind every delayed promotion is a professional who has given years of his or her life to educating our children. Behind every unpaid entitlement is a person who still has school fees to pay, rent to meet and responsibilities to carry.”

Opah said he had refrained from commenting on the situation over the past few months in the hope that the government would address the issues, adding that he was concerned that speaking about lecturers’ welfare could be dismissed as political opposition.
“But the lecturers are speaking for themselves now,” he said, following the declaration of the total and indefinite strike by ASUU-ABSU.

He appealed to the Abia State Government to urgently engage the union, determine what is owed the lecturers and agree on a credible plan to settle outstanding obligations.

Opah also warned that students should not become victims of a dispute they did not create, stressing that lecturers should not be forced to choose between their dignity and their responsibility to teach.

He said: “Politics must never become a reason to look away from the suffering of our people. If we are serious about building a better Abia, then the welfare of those who educate our children must matter.

“Our lecturers are not asking for charity. They are asking for what they have earned.”

The APC candidate urged political actors and the government to prioritise the welfare of workers and students, regardless of political differences.

His words: “Government is ultimately about people. It is about whether the teacher can live with dignity, whether the worker can provide for a family and whether our children can receive the education they deserve.

“We can disagree politically. We can contest elections passionately. But on matters that affect the dignity and livelihood of our people, we must never lose our humanity.

“I stand with the lecturers of ABSU in their call for justice and fair treatment. Our lecturers deserve better. Our students deserve better. Abia deserves more.”