ABUJA—Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State has appealed to lecturers of Abia State University to call off their strike, with a commitment to gradually offset the salary demands  as requested by Abia  Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU.

This was made known to newsmen by Mr.Ben Onyechere,Special Adviser to the governor on Media, in Abuja.

According to Mr. Onyechere, the governor took the decision to open the state university as a result of the yearning of generality of Nigerians and people of Abia State, in particular.

He said: “ Abia State governor, in taking this decision, is not unmindful of the collective understanding reached by the South East governors and intervention by  clerics in order to resolve the lingering imbroglio, but of paramount importance to him is the well being of Abia people who, he said, have shown genuine solidarity and support for his government for which he is not prepared to toil with.”

In pleading with the people to bear with him over the delay in meeting with the lecturers’ demands, Governor Orji reminded them that it would have being improper for him to have opted out of the collective discussion with other governors over the matter before now.

He noted that the problems associated with ASUU requests were complex as they bordered on arrears accumulated before he came to power as well as their request for remuneration comparative with other states not in the same economic situation with Abia.

He lamented that the volume of pressure on Abia revenue was too enormous to be enumerated on the pages of Newspaper.

According to him,  they range from free education, free health care services rendered by the state and the nature of Abia soil which is consuming too much money in terms of rehabilitation of roads and other infrastructures. “In spite of all these is the agreement that universities should open immediately, while payment commences because  our children have suffered enough,” the governor said.