The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has announced that September 10, will be observed as Victimized Lecturers’ Day. This day is dedicated to highlighting ongoing managerial issues and the challenges faced by lecturers at public universities in Nigeria.
Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, ASUU National President, made the announcement on Wednesday, August 21, at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. He briefed journalists on the outcomes of the recent National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Osodeke, accompanied by ASUU members, expressed concern over the treatment of lecturers across various Nigerian universities. According to him, many lecturers have experienced termination of appointments, withheld salaries, or denied promotions as a result of their efforts to advocate for the welfare of academic staff.
The universities affected, as listed by Osodeke, include Kogi State University, Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Lagos State University (LASU), Ambrose Alli University, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, among others.
ASUU voiced particular dissatisfaction with the ongoing victimization of its members at FUTO Owerri, especially regarding the rejection of a professorship title for former Minister of Communication and Digital Technology, Isah Pantami. The union called for an end to such actions by the university management.
The union reiterated its demands to the Federal Government, which include reviewing and signing the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, settling outstanding earned academic allowances, releasing withheld salaries, addressing promotion arrears, and halting third-party deductions from ASUU members’ funds.
Additional demands from ASUU include stopping illegal retirements, addressing the proliferation of public universities, and upholding university laws.
