ASUU-ABSU Rejects Lecturer’s Suspension, Vows to Sustain Strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Abia State University, ABSU, Uturu branch, has rejected the suspension of Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze and vowed to continue its indefinite strike until the lecturer is reinstated.

The union began the strike on Tuesday, August 11, amid concerns over unpaid salaries and other welfare-related issues affecting academic staff at the university.

The dispute escalated a day later when ABSU management suspended Nwaeze, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, over social media comments the university said were damaging to the institution and its visitor, Abia State Governor Alex Otti.

ASUU-ABSU, however, has described the suspension as unacceptable and maintained that the university management did not follow the appropriate disciplinary procedure.

ASUU rejects ABSU lecturer’s suspension

Chairman of ASUU-ABSU, Dr Chidi Mbah, said the union had already communicated its position to the university management during discussions concerning the strike and the suspended lecturer.

According to Mbah, any disciplinary action against Nwaeze should have followed the procedures established under the university’s governing edict.

He also argued that allegations of previous misconduct attributed to the lecturer had not been presented to the union.

Mbah said the union did not consider Nwaeze’s actions sufficient grounds for the suspension and insisted that any alleged offence should have been addressed when it occurred.

Union raises concerns over unpaid salaries

ASUU-ABSU also defended claims reportedly made by Nwaeze concerning the salaries and welfare of academic staff.

Mbah alleged that lecturers at ABSU were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure.

He further claimed that some promoted lecturers had not been moved to the appropriate salary grades, while some university employees were receiving only part of their salaries.

The union chairman also raised concerns about funds deducted from workers’ cooperative contributions.

According to him, about N473 million allegedly deducted from workers’ cooperative funds had not been remitted.

Also Read: ASUU Strike: 20 Universities Get 14-Day Ultimatum

Although he said the issue began under a previous administration, Mbah argued that the present government should address it because government remains a continuous institution.

ASUU says some lecturers are owed months of salaries

Mbah said salary arrears remained one of the major issues behind the industrial action.

He alleged that several lecturers were owed between two and three months of salaries, while others had outstanding payments stretching much further.

The ASUU-ABSU chairman claimed that some members had reportedly gone without salaries for as many as 44 months.

He said about 557 lecturers, excluding staff recruited during the current year, had been affected by the salary issue.

According to him, some members were allegedly owed 17, 30 or 35 months of salaries.

The union therefore maintains that the strike is linked to broader concerns about the welfare and financial conditions of academic staff rather than the suspension of a single lecturer.

Suspension came after strike had started

Mbah stressed that the strike began before Nwaeze made the social media post that reportedly triggered his suspension.

According to the ASUU-ABSU chairman, the industrial action commenced on August 11, while the lecturer’s social media post was made on the morning of August 12.

The professor was subsequently suspended later that day.

Mbah said the timing was important because, in the union’s view, the suspension should not be presented as the reason for the strike.

ASUU vows to sustain industrial action

The ASUU chairman said the national leadership of the union had directed the ABSU branch to resist the suspension.

He maintained that the branch would not suspend its industrial action until Nwaeze was reinstated.

Mbah further indicated that the union’s position would remain unchanged even if the university management resolved its other outstanding demands.

The union believes accepting the suspension without challenging it could have wider implications for academic freedom and the ability of lecturers to raise concerns about their working conditions.

ASUU raises academic freedom concerns

According to Mbah, the suspension could discourage other lecturers from speaking publicly about issues affecting their welfare.

He described the development as a threat that ASUU could not accept.

The union chairman also argued that previous agreements reached between the university and the academic union had not been fully implemented.

ASUU-ABSU is therefore insisting that the university address the outstanding salary and welfare concerns while also reviewing the suspension of Nwaeze.

What happens next?

The continuation of the ABSU strike now depends largely on negotiations between the university management and ASUU-ABSU.

For the union, resolving salary arrears and other welfare issues alone may not be enough to end the industrial action unless the suspended lecturer is also reinstated.

The dispute places additional pressure on the university to find a resolution that addresses both the financial concerns of its academic staff and the disagreement over the disciplinary action against Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze.

Until the two sides reach an understanding, ASUU-ABSU has indicated that its indefinite strike will continue.