The National Association of University Students, NAUS, has tasked Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State to increase the monthly subvention of the Ebonyi State University to enable the payment of salaries and allowances.
The national leadership of NAUS noted with regret the level of sufferings by students in EBSU, which according to them led to the deaths of two students of applied microbiology and guidance & counseling, and called on the school management to adequately compensate the families of the affected students.
The Senate National President of the Association, NAUS, Comrade Obute Godwin made this known while briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital.
According to him: “It has come to our notice that the management of EBSU, has refused staff and students to join the ongoing national struggle for the revitalization of public
universities in Nigeria.
“We have watched with total disgust, the needles infighting between ASUU-EBSU chapter and a certain Divine Mandate Lecturers, as a result of this fight, less than 20% of our students are on campus, receiving lectures and taking continuous assessment, while the remaining 80% are in trenches.
“Our attention was also drawn to a circular from the University management that examination will start on.”
Comrade Obute noted further that: “The current suffering by our students in EBSU is completely unacceptable to us. The families of two our students that died recently, in applied microbiology and guidance & counseling, must be adequately compensated by the management of EBSU. Their death could have been avoided were it not for the decision of the management to keep them in classes while others are in trenches.
“If the state government want to disengage Ebonyi state university from the ongoing ASUU strike we’re not against it, but the govt should first increase the monthly subvention being paid to the school to enable them pay up to date workers salaries, allowances and honorarium, if not the school should be allow to participate fully in the ongoing struggles for the revitalization of public universities, because in the end only our students bears the consequence of the needles fight.
“We’re giving the management of EBSU from now till Thursday the 31st of March 2022 to permanently end all academic activities in the school, any attempt to continue academic activities beyond this date will not be accepted by the National Association of University Students, NAUS, &there will be consequences.
“Finally, we are calling on the state government to prioritise the security of lives and properties of our students, we will no longer tolerate the unending avoidable death of our students in Ebonyi State.”
