Education in Nigeria
ASUU MOUAU branch joins nationwide protest over FG’s ‘inhumane treatment’
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) branch, on Tuesday joined the nationwide protest against what it described as the Federal Government’s “inhumane treatment” of university lecturers.
The protest, held simultaneously across ASUU branches in all 36 states, saw lecturers at MOUAU march around the university campus with placards bearing inscriptions such as: “Government makes lecturing job unattractive, so the Japa syndrome,” and “National Assembly, pay us before you increase your own salary.”
Speaking to journalists, ASUU MOUAU Chairman, Prof. Chike Ugwuene, said lecturers can no longer remain silent in the face of government neglect. “We have explored dialogue and held peaceful protests, yet nothing has changed,” he said.
He faulted the Federal Government’s directive for lecturers to access the Tertiary Institution Staff Support Fund (TISSF), describing it as a loan scheme that would further burden academics.
Prof. Ugwuene demanded payment of three-and-a-half months’ salary arrears from the 2022 strike, as well as the release of revitalisation funds captured in the national budget. He lamented that the 2009 agreement between ASUU and the government has been renegotiated three times without implementation.
Other speakers, including Prof. Uzochukwu Onyebinama and Prof. Chukwuma Ofor, decried the poor remuneration of lecturers, noting that professors earn less than ₦500,000 monthly. “We have produced professionals in all fields, yet we are treated like we don’t matter,” Onyebinama said.
Prof. Chinyere Echendu and Rev. Sr. Dr. Celestina Adaku from the Department of Guidance and Counseling described the situation as frustrating, saying endless negotiations have yielded nothing. “Our salaries cannot meet basic needs. Government must put itself in our shoes,” Adaku said.
The lecturers called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to honour agreements and improve the welfare of academics to prevent further decay in the university system.
