National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has disclosed that 10 university lecturers died in the course of the eight-month strike embarked upon by the union to press home its demands for better conditions in the university system.
He said that the deceased were lecturers at the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
Osodeke made the disclosure during an interview on Channels Television while responding a question on how students affected by the strike would be compensated for the lost months.
“Some of our colleagues who have died because there was no money to take care of their health, who is going to bring them back to life or compensate their families?
“Our colleagues who lost relatives because they did not have money to take care of them, or those who have been driven out of their accommodation because they could not pay their rent, how would they be compensated?
“At University of Calabar, 10 of our colleagues died during the strike, who is compensating them or their families?” he asked.
The ASUU President said that the union only called off the strike to obey court order as no agreement was signed that its demands would be met.
However, he expressed hope that the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila would bring a true resolution to the demands.
Osodeke said that lecturers were not happy that the government has refused to pay their salary backlog for the months that the union was on strike.
“How can members be happy when they were practically forced to go back to work without issues trashed out and demands met?
“The best option for resolving issues like this is negotiation, but that was not done. You don’t railroad people that way.
“Our members will go and teach, but getting a man who is hungry, who is indebted, who is owing banks loans because his salary was not paid to be happy to teach is another thing,” he said.