LECTURERS at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) have threatened to cripple academic activities in the state-owned institution if nothing was done to offset several months unpaid salary arrears.
EKSU Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kayode Arogundade, stated this while speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on Thursday, December 5.
Arogundade said that the state government had been given till January 17 to bring together the university’s critical stakeholders to tell the lecturers how it “will defray” what they were owed to avert a strike.
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He lamented that his members were being owned several arrears that spanned from half and unpaid salaries to unremitted cooperative deductions since 2015 till date.
He also stated the university owes retired ASUU members about 36 months of pension deductions.
“After a thorough evaluation of the New Year message of the governor, who incidentally is an alumnus, members have appealed that, on the honour of Mr Governor and the strength of his message, we should just give one more week, so that by January 17, we will reconvene to take a decision,” he said.
“Something drastic must happen in this university; otherwise, the institution will become history. We remain steadfast to the January 17 date when a decision will be made, but I can assure you that we cannot be hungry and decide to go to work on an empty stomach.
“In late December, we were paid 50 per cent of our August 2022 salary; we have 12 months of half salary outstanding between 2016 and 2018; in 2018, we have three full months outstanding; we are owed unremitted cooperative deductions; and our retired members are being owed 36 months of pension deduction. We have been made poor and dehumanised as academics.
“We know what the governor inherited, but we want somebody to sit down with us and tell us how these things will be defrayed. It should be on record that the N260m monthly subventions can no longer sustain this university. Our school fees can only augment salaries for five months.”
Several attempts by The ICIR to get reactions from the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Yinka Oyebode, were unsuccessful.
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