The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) held a peaceful protest on Tuesday, expressing their dissatisfaction with the Federal Government, led by President Bola Tinubu, for failing to address the working conditions of their members.
The UNIPORT ASUU branch highlighted that 325 senior lecturers, who were promoted to professorial positions, have not received their promotion arrears for 30 to 40 months.
During a press briefing that preceded the peaceful campus demonstration, ASUU called on Nigerians to urge the Federal Government to resolve the issues to avoid another potential crisis in the universities.
Comrade Uzoma Darlington Chima, Chairman of ASUU UNIPORT, addressed the press conference, which was attended by university lecturers. Chima emphasized the need to avert another impending strike by ASUU.
Reading from a joint press statement with the Union’s Secretary, Comrade Salem Ejeba, Chima highlighted the ongoing deterioration in the universities, noting that 325 senior lecturers were owed 30 to 40 months of promotion arrears.
Chima stated, “The federal government has refused to pay promotion arrears to 325 lecturers in this institution. These people are between the professorial level. They were promoted and are still being owed between 30 to 40 months arrears.”
Reflecting on the last ASUU strike, which lasted 18 months due to the Federal Government’s neglect of lecturers’ welfare and university development, Chima regretted that the government’s response was to withhold salaries, exacerbating the situation.
Chima criticized the government’s approach to addressing the challenges in university education, which led to recent shutdowns of university activities. He pointed out that President Tinubu has not fulfilled his promise to prevent ASUU strikes during his administration.
“Rather than sincerely address and find a lasting solution to the above issues which impinge negatively on industrial harmony, quality education, and the smooth-running of our public universities, the Federal Government resorted to the use of starvation by withholding the salaries of our members for over seven (7) months and coercion through the National Industrial Court and the Appeal Court,” Chima said.
He added, “It is sad to note that over twenty (20) months after the suspension of the last strike, the federal Government has only paid lip-service towards addressing those core issues that led to the strike ab initio and others that emanated from the strike.”
Chima also stressed the need for better remuneration for ASUU members, pointing out that their conditions of service have not been reviewed for the past 15 years despite rising inflation and the hardships imposed by successive governments on Nigerians.
