From Tony Osauzo, Benin
As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threatens another round of strikes, the Benin Zone of the Union, clarified yesterday that strikes by the nation’s university lecturers were the last resort to draw government attention to their plight and not intended to derail academic activities.
The Benin Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof Fred Esumeh, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, however, said strikes were not peculiar to Nigerian Universities, adding that, “in fact, some Universities in London recently went on strike.
“Strike is less frequent in the western world because their government acts… But here in Nigeria, you have to frequently go on strike before the government could act,” Prof Esumeh added.
He described members remuneration as slave wage and demanded a new benchmark for the condition of service, stressing that “Nigerian universities are no longer attractive to foreign lecturers, including neighbouring countries.
“This is due to the prevailing slave wage where the highest-ranked professor earns less than a thousand dollars monthly.”
Professor Esumeh also expressed concern over a statement credited to Mr Sonny Echono, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, noting that the statement came even when a draft agreement between both parties was yet to be signed by the government.
The Permanent Secretary was reported to have said that the federal government agreements with the university lecturers were reached under duress.