The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said that no fewer than 84 of its members died between May and August 2024 due to economic hardship occasioned by unpaid salaries.
The President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said this on a Channels Television programme: “Inside Sources,” on Sunday.
Osodeke told the host of the socio-political programme, Laolu Akande: “In the past three months, from May to August (2024), Nigerian universities lost 84 academics to death.
“In three months, because of what our people are going through. Despite this crisis, you are holding somebody’s three-and-half or more salaries on the no-work, no-pay, you are owing this money.
“People are trying to survive, you introduced fuel increase, you introduced electricity increase, and everything is gone now.”
Osodeke advocated increased funding for university education in Nigeria, saying that to get the sector functioning optimally, lecturers must be motivated.
He said he earns N420,000 per month despite being a professor for 15 years.
According to him, Nigerian lecturers can’t compete globally if they are not well-paid.
Osodeke said ASUU members must be fully paid for the entire period of the industrial action in 2022.
He submitted that the President Bola Tinubu administration has not done lecturers any favours by clearing four months of their about eight months withheld salaries.
