By Chioma Onuegbu Uyo

MEMBERS of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Uyo Branch , ASUU-UUB, yesterday joined their counterpart nationwide to protest government failure to sign the agreement with the union over the past two years.

The leaders in their respective remarks expressed the Union’s readiness to embark on another strike soon if nothing was done to honour their agreement with the federal government.

Addressing the protesters the Chairperson of ASUU-UNIUYO, Professor Opeyemi Olajide regretted that two years after they were appealed to return to the classrooms, the federal government was yet to attend to their demands.

His words, “In the year 2022, ASUU was on strike for eight months, public universities in Nigeria were shut down, students were sent home because federal government of Nigeria refused to address ASUU demands as contained in renegotiated 2009 agreement which Academic Staff Unions of Nigerian Universities had with them.

“ASUU suspended the strike because our union is very civil, law abiding and has respect for rule of law. This is two years after, and the federal government has refused to sign that agreement with our union.

“We are telling government and the public that if in the next two weeks nothing is done, ASUU is going to embark on yet another strike and students will be sent home.”

Also speaking during the protest, the former  Zonal Cordinator of ASUU, Calabar zone,  Prof. Aniekan Brown amented that the rate of taxation by the Federal Government on  the meagre salaries paid to lecturers was unbearable

Professor Brown, who noted that the workload of lecturers were not commensurate with their pay , stressed that it was not possible for someone to work on empty stomach.

  “It’s quite sad that some lecturers have up to 48 credit loads per week, they teach on Saturdays, and yet their take home pay will not take them home. I want to say that it’s not possible for one to work in an empty stomach.

“The union is ready to ensure that public university system gets back running, it’s left for government to do the needful. Let me also note that our taxes are excruciating, a lecturer who is meant  to receive Two Hundred Thousand Naira as salary will end up going home with N110, 000 as N90,000 will go in as tax.

” You’ll see lecturers jumping from one bus to another, living uncomfortable lives, how can we impact knowledge successfully in this scenario?. These people giving us this kind of tax evade tax, they subjected us to IPPIS and they are not in IPPIS.”, Brown Said