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ASUU blames death of lecturers on unpaid salaries, faults ban in Edo

By Michael Egbejule, Benin City
08 July 2022   |   2:38 am
Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University, Edo State chapter, Cyril Onogbosele, yesterday, said the union has lost 10 of its members
[FILES] Obaseki. Photo/ facebook/godwinobasekiofficial

Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University, Edo State chapter, Cyril Onogbosele, yesterday, said the union has lost 10 of its members since the association embarked on strike over unpaid salary arrears.

Onogbosele made the revelation when the ASUU national president Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, led other national delegates of the union in solidarity protest to the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma over their unpaid salaries and other sundry issues in the institution.

“Since this strike started, we have lost something in the neighbourhood of 10 lecturers. Some of them cannot afford medicare.

“Workers have been denied their salaries for 19 months now. Many of us are dying as a result of that. We cannot meet our financial obligations to our families because of unpaid salaries.

“We want revitalisation of public universities. We want better conditions of service, infrastructural development, university autonomy, and address poor funding and unpaid allowance. That is what the strike is all about.”

When contacted, the special adviser to the governor on Media Project, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, didn’t answer calls put across to his mobile phone.

IN his comment, Osodeke, yesterday, lamented the death of its members and faulted the ban on union activities in Edo State-owned varsity by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Osodeke, who pledged support for members of the union nationwide, expressed shock at the manner Obaseki had continued to disregard ASUU members in the state.

He said: “The governor did not establish the union, therefore, he doesn’t have the right or power to ban the union. He doesn’t have that right.

“It is not within his jurisdiction. It is on the exclusive list. ASUU is a properly registered union to operate anywhere in this country. He has no right, he is just making noise and it will not work,” he said.

He also flayed the governor for replacing the governing council of the institution with the Special Intervention Team (SIT).

On his part, the immediate past president, Prof. Biodun Opeyemi, said the union should rise against the state governor for proscribing union activities in the state-own university to deter other state governors from following Obaseki’s step.

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