Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Federal University of Technology, Akure chapter, on Wednesday protested the ‘no work, no pay’ policy handed down by the Federal Government after the lecturers resumed work after eight months of industrial action.
The protest complied with the directive of the National Working Council (NEC) of the union that charged all chapters of the union to embark on a peaceful protest against the half salary and nonpayment of their eight months’ salaries.
Marching around the campus and singing solidarity songs, the lecturers displayed different placards with different inscriptions expressing their grievances.
Among the inscription are “ASUU FUTA says no to the criminalization of legal strikes, casualization of the academics in Nigeria” “Pay the arrears of our salaries”, “Ngige’s rascality can’t solve the problems in the education sector”, “the punitive non-work-no-pay and pro-rata salaries are merely diversionary”, “Ngige is just a minister, he can’t be greater than the President that appoints him” among others as they chant solidarity songs to press home their demands.
Addressing newsmen, the ASUU FUTA Chairman, Yinka Awopetu said ASUU had declared a lecture and exam-free day for the protest are calling on Nigerians to tell the Federal Government that any attempt to casualness lecturers would spell doom for the university system.
He said: “It is illegal for the federal government to casualise the academics in Nigeria. This protest is to let everyone know that ASUU in general and ASUU FUTA, in particular, is condemning in entirety the casualisation of academics and the criminalization of the illegal strike. We didn’t go on strike because we wanted to go on strike but because the government failed to do its part, so we can’t be punished for that.
“They owe us seven and half months’ salary. Today is a lecture-free and exam-free day, we can’t be in this congress and protests and classes will be going on. If you go on legal strike, you shouldn’t be punished for it but we are being punished by withholding our salaries.”
Other members of the union who also spoke accused the federal government of attempting to reduce Nigerian scholars to casual workers.
The Students Union President, FUTA, Abiodun Ibiyemi, declared unflinching support of the Union and reiterated that the students union were fully in support of the ASUU position and agitation.
