Lecturers stage one-day sit-in protest

Lecturers at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), Kogi State, on Tuesday, staged a one-day sit-in strike, to protest alleged non-promotion of staff, among other grievances.

The placard-carrying lecturers massed in front of the Vice Chancellor’s office chanting slogans.

Some of the placards read, “Our Mumu Don Do”, “Lead or leave”, “Sunset in Tetfund”, “Bad Regime the Road to Precipice, Misery and Depression”.

The demonstration which began around 8am, jolted the students who had arrived the premises earlier, in the hope that lectures will continue uninterrupted despite the ongoing strike by the members of the local chapter of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), including the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU).

Addressing pressmen on some the issues, the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, FUL (ASUU-FUL), Dr Anselm Oyem, said the protest will end by 4pm, adding that the response of the university administration will determine their next step of action.

He said that the union had in the past tabled its grievances before the authorities, but are yet to be addressed on steps being taken to redress them.

Addressing newsmen during the sit-in, Dr Oyem said that they will no longer remain silent over the lack of response of the management team to their grievances.

“Our rights and privileges are being tampered with. Since 2016, no promotion to professorship despite there are many qualified for it. Also, lecturers with masters degree are yet to be upgraded to their deserving position. Same goes for other ranks.

“TETFUND monies are being withheld by the management thereby causing difficulties for lecturers who are to benefit from its scholarship to access it.

“Since NASU commenced strike, we clean ad sweep our offices by ourselves, just because we don’t want the school calendar to be truncated.

“Our departmental running cost are not release. For a while now the management had sit on our impress”.

Addressing the protesting lecturers on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, the Deputy Vice, Prof. Makanjuola Oshagbemi, said that the issues tabled were being looked into.

He said those within the ambit of the management will be addressed, and the second part of the demand that they tabled, “which are not entire ours to handle, we will help in getting resolved.

Item said that the school management had turned deaf ears to their demands and refused to respond to their numerous letters stating  their demands.

The students were seen standing around the school premises in groups, while some formed into tutorial classes.

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