4 AAU professors died of hunger over non-payment of 24 months' salary- Professor Omosi

Lecturers at the Ambrose Ali University in Ekpoma are struggling to survive as they haven't received their salaries for 24 months. 

Professor Andy Omosi, one of the concerned lecturers, has called on the public to assist them. He revealed that several of his colleagues, including Prof. Okosodo, Prof. Omoike, Prof. Ailemen, and Prof. Clem Ojeabu have died due to hunger as a result of the non-payment of salaries for 22 to 24 months. 

Omosi also stated that Governor Godwin Obaseki owes other staff members salaries ranging from 5 to 24 months. The situation is dire, and the lecturers are calling on well-meaning Nigerians to help them out.

"He stopped subvention that Oshiomole was giving to the school. Oshiomole did not owe staff salaries at the end of his tenure. Many programs are presently not accredited because of lack of funds including College of medicine. Weeds have taken over the school, structures are dilapidated and official vehicles are grounded. Equipment are in a state of disrepair and petrol and diesel to run the system are never available. The university is not working. All these are happening because there is no subvention to the university.

"Money is required from government to run a government university apart from payment of salaries. It is not a private university for crying out loud.

"A responsible government that increases minimum wage for state workers is expected to increase subvention to the university so that the university can also pay the new minimum wage to staff. Unfortunately, no government's presence in the university since Obaseki came. We all in the diaspora campaigned for him when Oshiomole was against him, but he turned against us.

"The university has never left the funding for only the government. The university has always augmented with internally generated revenue. But Obaseki stopped the subvention and the university is in total disarray. Students are no longer applying to AAU because of the high school fees and collapse of the system. 

"None of you is bold enough to draw his attention to the fact that his refusal to restore subvention to AAU and constitute a governing council can negatively affect his party in the forthcoming election. While they cannot talk to him to do the needful, they want everyone to shut up.

"There are no workers in schools and in the civil service. He refused to employ workers. He only employed few teachers that he calls Edostars. They are not in Edo state career employment. Although they are graduates, he put them on a miserable salary scale of #38,000 per month. Even at that, the schools and offices are starved of staff. Communities now employ teachers for the schools in their localities.

"The minimum wage is therefore meant for very few people that presently constitute the workforce of the state."