Protests erupt at University of Cross River over unpaid staff salaries

Teaching and non-teaching staff at the University of Cross River State rallied together in protest against the institution’s failure to remunerate them promptly. The agitation, led by the newly appointed UNICROSS Alumni Association head, Peter Iyali PhD, intensified as workers, grappling with a five-month salary backlog, voiced their discontent.

A month prior, Iyali’s leadership sought intervention from the state governor, accompanying their plea with a donation of rice to the affected staff. The workers, armed with placards, specifically targeted their frustration at the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Austin Angbah, demanding his removal from office.

In response, Prof. Angbah accused the workers’ unions of instigating the unrest, contending that the management had already initiated payments to address the salary arrears. Expressing confusion over the continued protests, he maintained that the Joint Action Committee (JAC), alongside NASU, NAT, and SSANU leadership, had withdrawn support as the backlog was being addressed.

However, Prof. Angbah pointed fingers at four individuals whom he claimed had hijacked the workers’ union, alleging that they incited the protests without representing the broader consensus. The Vice Chancellor emphasized the need for disciplinary action against these individuals, asserting that their actions were against the collective opinion of the university’s staff.

In a rebuttal, Mac Enang Ayu, chairman of the UNICROSS branch of SSANU, refuted the accusations of incitement. He clarified that the protesting individuals were not SSANU members but affiliated with NASU, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the financial hardships faced by his members.

Story submitted by Obisesan Abdulhaqq Oladimeji