Lecturers at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) have taken to protest over the Federal Government’s failure to review their conditions of service and settle outstanding allowances.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNIPORT branch, revealed that 325 senior lecturers promoted to professorial levels have not received their promotion arrears for 30 to 40 months.
ASUU UNIPORT Chairman Uzoma Chima, during a news briefing on Tuesday ahead of the protest on the university campus, called on Nigerians to urge the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to address the issue promptly to prevent another crisis in the universities.
Chima, reading from a statement co-signed by the union’s Secretary, Salem Ejeba, highlighted the continuous neglect of the education sector by the government, leading to decaying infrastructure and unpaid allowances. “The Federal Government has refused to pay promotion arrears to 325 lecturers in this institution. These people are between the professorial level. They were promoted and are still being owed between 30 to 40 months arrears,” Chima stated.
Recalling the 18-month strike previously embarked upon by ASUU due to the government’s inability to address lecturers’ welfare and the development of university education, Chima expressed concern over the government’s approach. “Rather than sincerely address and find a lasting solution to the issues which negatively impact industrial harmony, quality education, and the smooth running of our public universities, the Federal Government resorted to starvation by withholding the salaries of our members for over seven months and coercion through the National Industrial Court and the Appeal Court,” he added.
Despite the suspension of the last strike over 20 months ago, the Federal Government has made minimal efforts to resolve the core issues that led to the strike and new issues that have since emerged. Chima emphasized the dire need for better remuneration, noting that the conditions of service for lecturers have not been reviewed in 15 years despite the rising inflation and economic hardships faced by Nigerians.
The lecturers’ protest at UNIPORT underscores the growing frustration within Nigeria’s academic community and the urgent need for governmental intervention to avert further disruption in the country’s higher education sector.
