The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has revealed a tragic toll, stating that 84 lecturers died between May and August 2024 due to economic hardship and the non-payment of salaries.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, highlighted the devastating effects of the government’s failure to address the welfare of academic staff.
“In the past three months, from May to August (2024), Nigerian universities lost 84 academics to death. In three months, because of what our people are going through,” Osodeke stated.
He expressed deep frustration over the government’s continued withholding of three and a half months’ worth of salaries for lecturers, alongside the introduction of policies that exacerbate their economic plight.
“Despite this crisis, 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,” Osodeke lamented.
The ASUU president also criticized the poor remuneration of Nigerian lecturers, pointing out that their pay is far from competitive on a global scale.
He revealed that despite being a professor for 15 years, he earns a meager N420,000 per month.
In his plea for increased funding, Osodeke declared that university lecturers must be adequately compensated to ensure the effective functioning of the education sector.
On September 25, 2024, ASUU issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the resolution of several lingering issues, including the conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU Agreement and the release of withheld salaries following the 2022 industrial action.
