Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) Ebonyi state chapter Wednesday threatened to embark on total strike if the federal government refuses to listen to their plight.
The lecturers who abandoned all academic activities for the protest, went round the school to the campus gate with placards bearing different inscriptions, “On Nimi Briggs renegotiated document we stand, “FG end the proliferation of Universities” among others.
Speaking during the protest, state chairperson of ASUU Comrade Louis Omenyi, disclosed that federal government has refused to listen to their plight, adding that if nothing was done in two weeks, the union will embark on total action.
Omenyi regretted that the federal government refused to pay lecturers their salaries when they embarked on strike in 2022.
He said, “the public blame ASUU, they said they don’t know why we striking like thunder. Now we want to tell everybody that we are going to strike harder than thunder this time around because of the following.
“Up till today, 2022 salaries is still being withheld, we are being owed three and half months of a very useless salary that we have been receiving since 2009, more than 15 years ago, that’s what we receive as University lecturers. Is that acceptable?
“No governing council, if you go to other federal universities in Nigeria, there is no governing council. We are asking for improved salaries according to the agreement we signed with the federal government of Nigeria.
“President Tinubu cornered the union and promised that immediately he comes in as the President, he will not only bring Agbado , he is going to pay us and resolve all our problems in the universities. Now more than one year today, salaries cannot be paid.
“More than one year today, we are being owed the salaries that supposed to have been paid in 2022 when we went on strike. Up till today, people at Ebonyi State University are still chasing our members around, frustrating them without salaries so that they will die out of hunger.
“As a union, we are saying no to the federal government. They have just two weeks from today to do the needful and shall tell them why we can strike more than thunder”.
