ASUU-ABSU Rejects Nwaeze’s Suspension, Vows to Sustain Strike Over Unpaid Salaries.

ASUU-ABSU Rejects Nwaeze’s Suspension, Vows to Sustain Strike Over Unpaid Salaries.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU) chapter, has rejected the suspension of one of its members, Prof. Nnamdi Nwaeze, describing the action as unacceptable and vowing to sustain its ongoing indefinite strike until he is reinstated.

The ASUU-ABSU chapter chairman, Dr. Chidi Mbah, disclosed this while speaking on the crisis, saying the union had made its position clear during a meeting with the university management.

Mbah said if the university had any justification for suspending Nwaeze, it should have followed the procedures stipulated in the university’s edict.

“For us in ASUU, we did not see anything wrong with what Prof Nwaeze did,” Mbah said.

He added that allegations of previous wrongdoing against the lecturer were neither presented to the union nor known to it, stressing that any alleged offences should have been addressed when they occurred.

Mbah also confirmed the claims made by Nwaeze in a Facebook post concerning lecturers’ salaries and welfare, saying ABSU lecturers were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure.

According to him, promoted lecturers are not placed on the appropriate salary scales, while staff members receive only half of their salaries.

He further alleged that N473 million deducted from workers’ cooperative funds had not been remitted, noting that although the issue originated under a previous administration, the current government was expected to resolve it because “government is a continuum.”

Mbah said salary arrears affect a large number of lecturers, with some owed between two and three months and others as much as 44 months.

He said about 557 lecturers, excluding those employed this year, were affected, with some owed 17, 30 and 35 months’ salaries.

“It is not just one person, or 20, or 30. They are many,” he said.

The union commenced an indefinite, total and comprehensive strike on Tuesday, August 11, following approval from the national ASUU leadership after a National Executive Council meeting.

Mbah stressed that the strike began before Nwaeze made his Facebook post on Wednesday morning and that the professor was suspended later that same day.

He said the national leadership of ASUU subsequently directed the chapter to resist the suspension, insisting that the strike would not be suspended until Nwaeze was reinstated, even if all other demands were met.

At a meeting with government officials on Friday, the state government reportedly distanced itself from the suspension, saying it did not direct the Vice-Chancellor to suspend the lecturer and that the university management should be held responsible.

The Vice-Chancellor was present at the meeting, where ASUU again demanded the immediate reversal of the suspension.

Mbah described the discussions as initially unencouraging but said the situation became more positive after the union pressed its demand. He said government officials indicated that a response would be provided before the union’s planned congress on Tuesday.

The congress is expected to consider any offer from the government before deciding the next course of action.

Mbah declined to disclose details of the government’s offer, saying members would be properly briefed at the congress.

The ASUU chairman also expressed concern that Nwaeze’s suspension could intimidate other lecturers from speaking publicly about salary and welfare challenges.

“The suspension is a serious threat, and we must resist it. As ASUU, we will not accept anything that undermines our freedom or the autonomy of the university,” he said.

Mbah said he had spoken with Nwaeze several times and forwarded the suspension letter to the union’s national headquarters.

On the broader welfare crisis, he said lecturers’ salaries were inadequate to meet basic living expenses, adding that many members were struggling to pay their children’s school fees.

He said the university had also stopped the previous arrangement that allowed lecturers’ school fees to be deducted directly from their salaries, with the union demanding that the policy be restored.

The union further complained about the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance, which Mbah said ABSU lecturers had never received despite repeated engagements with the authorities since 2023.

According to him, agreements were reached during several meetings but were not implemented.

He said the chapter had attended more than 30 meetings in Umuahia and issued a 14-day ultimatum before embarking on the current strike.

Mbah said Governor Alex Otti approved the union’s demands on April 29, but implementation had yet to take place, attributing the delay to possible bottlenecks involving the governor’s aides, the Head of Service and the Accountant-General.

He rejected claims that the strike was politically motivated, saying the union had given the government sufficient time to address its concerns and had engaged extensively with officials.

Mbah said the Commissioner for Tertiary Education and the Secretary to the State Government had both acknowledged in writing that the strike was justified and that the union’s demands were genuine.

He urged ASUU members to remain calm, assuring them that the union leadership understood their difficulties and remained committed to the struggle.

“We are not going to back out,” Mbah said, adding that after exhausting dialogue, diplomacy and other available avenues, withdrawal of services was the only option left