The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reported the tragic loss of 84 academic staff members between May and August 2024, attributing these deaths to economic hardship and the ongoing issue of unpaid salaries.
ASUU President Emmanuel Osodeke made this distressing revelation during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
“In the past three months, from May to August (2024), Nigerian universities lost 84 academics to death,” Osodeke stated. “In three months, because of what our people are going through.”
He emphasized that the financial struggles faced by university lecturers have reached a critical point, exacerbated by the government’s continued withholding of salaries.
Despite the dire circumstances, Osodeke highlighted the government’s stance on the no-work, no-pay policy.
“You are holding somebody’s three-and-half or more salaries on the no-work, no-pay, you are owing this money. People are trying to survive; you introduced fuel increase, you introduced electricity increase, and everything is gone now,” he lamented.
Osodeke further advocated for increased funding for university education in Nigeria, stressing that adequate financial support is crucial to motivate lecturers.
He revealed that despite his position as a professor for 15 years, he earns only N420,000 per month. “Nigerian lecturers can’t compete globally if not well-paid,” he asserted.
In light of these ongoing challenges, ASUU issued the Federal Government a 14-day ultimatum on September 25, 2024, to address several unresolved issues. These include the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the release of withheld salaries due to the 2022 industrial action.
The 2022 strike by academic and non-academic unions lasted eight months and aimed to secure better welfare packages. Following the strike, the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari implemented a no-work, no-pay policy, which led to a contentious situation regarding salary payments.
President Bola Tinubu approved the release of four of the eight months’ withheld salaries in October 2023, yet ASUU members only received partial payment.
Osodeke emphasized the need for the full payment of all salaries owed to ASUU members for the period of the industrial action in 2022.
He noted that the Tinubu administration’s actions in clearing only four months of withheld salaries have not adequately addressed the needs of lecturers in Nigerian universities.
“We must be fully paid for the entire period of the industrial action in 2022,” he concluded, urging for a comprehensive resolution to the ongoing crisis in the education sector.