ASUU: 10 Lecturers Died During 8-Month Strike – President

ASUU president has disclosed that the union lost 10 lectures during the just concluded eight months strike.

Newsonline reports that the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke says that 10 university lecturers died in the course of the eight-month strike embarked upon by the union.

He said that the deceased were lecturers at the University of Calabar, UNICAL.

Also: Strike: ASUU Back In Court, Files Appeal Against Industrial Court Judgement

Osodeke made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television while responding to a question on how students affected by the strike would be compensated for the lost months.

He disclosed that the lecturers lost their lives because they had no money to take care of their health.

Reacting to how the students would be compensated for the lost months, Osodeke asked, “Some of our colleagues who have died because there was no money to take care of their health, who is going to bring them back to life or compensate their families?

“Our colleagues who lost relatives because they did not have money to take care of them, or those who have been driven out of their accommodation because they could not pay their rent, how would they be compensated?

“At the University of Calabar, 10 of our colleagues died during the strike, who is compensating them or their families?”

The ASUU President said that the union only called off the strike to obey court order as no agreement was signed that its demands would be met.

However, he expressed hope that the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila would bring a true resolution to the demands of the union.

“How can members be happy when they were practically forced to go back to work without issues trashed out and demands met?

“The best option for resolving issues like this is negotiation, but that was not done. You don’t railroad people that way.

“Our members will go and teach, but getting a man who is hungry, who is indebted, who is owing banks loans because his salary was not paid to be happy to teach is another thing,” he said.