August 29, (THEWILL) – The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Niger Delta University (NDU) chapter, has resolved to embark on industrial strike action.
According to ASUU, through its Chairman, Comrade Oyinkepreye Lucky Bebeteidoh, the decision to initiate the process of strike action was instigated by the refusal of the State Government to respond to several overtures to seek audience with the visitor of the Institution, Gov. Douye Diri, on the challenges affecting members and the University in general.
Bebeteidoh, while speaking with newsmen at the secretariat of the ASUU at the NDU campus in Wilberforce island in Ammassoma, said the Congress of the union resolved to initiate the process leading to the resumption of its suspended industrial action with immediate effect.
According to ASUU, the contending issues between ASUU and the Bayelsa State Government include the implementation of the 35 percent and 25 percent salary increment for members with immediate effect and payment of the arrears from January 2023 to date, and the consequential adjustment and immediate implementation of the N70,000 Minimum Wage to members.
“The implementation of the annual step increment with immediate effect and the payment of the arrears from 2018 to date. Payment of the arrears from 2018 to date and the provision of on-campus residential accomodation for staff to ease the burden,stress and risk of commuting to work from Yenagoa on daily basis.
“Implementation of the annual review of the monthly subvention as contained in the MoA earlier signed on the 1st of September,2022. Employment of Academic staff especially those below the rank of senior lecturer (graduate assistants,lecturer 11, and Lecturer 1). This will bridge the academic manpower gap in almost all the departments in the Niger Delta University and also provide funding for accreditation needs of the University.”
Comrade Oyinkepreye Lucky Bebeteidoh, while speaking in the presence of the executives of ASUU, NDU; Vice Chairman, Comrade Ebilade Baraka, Secretary, Comrade Victory Owede, Financial Secretary, Comrade Tampon Johnbull and Welfare Officer, Comrade Tarikiye Angaye, alleged that it is on record that since the inception of the current administration, no single project has been undertaken in the university.
“The University, as you know, is best described as a TETFund University, as TETFund and other Federal interventions are the only means of physical and human infrastructural development. The evidence is glaring.
“Sadly, efforts are also being made to remove this only existing infrastructural and human resources development lifeline of the Niger Delta University, under the guise of distributing TETFund interventions to all the Universities in the State when it is clearly indicated in the TETFund guidelines that only two universities can be funded alternatively.”
He added that the process of the strike action takes immediate effect after due ratification from the ASUU national leadership, “We have been hesitant to resume our suspended strike action. However, it has become abundantly clear that industrial action is the only language successive governments respond to.”
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
