Kogi varsity lecturers may down tools

ACADEMIC activities may again be disrupted at the Kogi State University, Anyigba, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the university has threatened to resume the strike it suspended in July.

The acting chairman of the union, Dr. Daniel Aina, said the lecturers would resume the strike because the authorities of the university have breached the agreement reached with it.

Aina said the management and the governing council of the institution had been embarking on selective salary payment, which had left out about195 professors and Ph.D holders for about three months.

He expressed worries that the development might lead to exodus of lecturers from the system as they might have no other option than to migrate to other universities.

The ASUU chairman also said that already, over 40 lecturers have left the institution since the crisis started.

He said the union’s negotiation and agreement with the interim council have been flouted, and that having explored all necessary avenues, including an audience with the governing council, without any positive result, the union decided to bring the matter to the public domain.

He said, “We find it expedient to draw your attention to the present state of things as it relates to the ASUU-KSU versus government saga. Recall that between April 14th 2016 and July 29th 2016, ASUU-KSU was on a ‘No pay, no work’ action to press for prompt payment of salaries for academic staff.

“We reiterated it was one wild reason for staff exodus and is capable of leading our members into corrupt tendencies. We also highlighted that the tax regime imposed on us is outrageously higher than what is obtained elsewhere.”

He said government paid one month salary as at 29th of July because they were desperate to make members of the union to resume work, but that many lecturers are being owed four months and others two months.

“ASUU has kept to the spirit of the MoU by not invoking the congress resolution after two months,” he said, and that neither the tax holiday nor the solicited tax rebate has been implemented.