Ten academic staff of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) – six of them Professors – died between 14th February and now, according to the university branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
ASUU commenced its now protracted industrial action on 14th February, demanding Federal Government’s implementation of the Memorandum of Action on funding for revitalisation of public universities, which was signed in December 2020.
Other are Earned Academic Allowances, renegotiation of the 2009 agreement and the deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) for staff payment, among others.
In briefing the media on Thursday on Thursday, the Branch Chairman of ASUU UNICAL, Dr John Edor did not however disclose the circumstances surrounding the death of the lecturers.
There were six Professors among those listed by Edor. They are: Prof. E. O. Udosen, Biochemistry; Prof. G. U. Ntamu, Religious and Cultural Studies; Prof. (Mrs) Judith Otu, Sociology; Prof. Victor Ibianwu, Physics; Prof. Offiong Abia, History and International Studies; and Prof. Catherine Agbor, Arts Education.
Others were: Dr (Mrs) Iquo Takon, Microbiology; Dr Augustine Bassey, Sociology; Dr Ita Esuabana, Mathematics; and Dr Chinyere Okam, Theatre and Media Studies.
Asked to comment on the tragedy, Edor said: “I won’t make further comments”.
Credit: The PUNCH
