After Loss Of One Academic Year: Governor Amaechi Gives Ultimatum To Striking Lecturers

The Governing Council of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST, has given the striking lecturers to either resume work within two weeks or seek employment elsewhere.

The RSUST Governing Council spokesman and Secretary, Dabo Odimabo gave the ultimatum to the lecturers after the Council meeting reviewed the strike action of the lecturers, which has led to the loss of one academic session of the institution.

Odimabo lamented that due to the prolonged strike, the institution has been deregistered by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board,JAMB, while the National Universities Commission, NUC, has threatened to deregister all the courses offered by the institution and not to recognise graduates from the institution.

The lecturers embarked on strike in compliance with the directive of the national body to push for the improvement of their take-home-pay. Lecturers nationwide also went on strike to demand for improvement of other conditions of service.

However, the Rivers state Governor Chibuike Amaechi has said the strike is blackmail against the Rivers State government and the students because the lecturers are the best paid in the country, and have no justification for embarking on the strike at all.

The governor said that he had asked the leadership of ASUU in the institution headed by Dr. Felix Igwe, to have a meeting with Mr. Magnus Abe, Secretary to the State Government on behalf of the Government to look into the issues affecting them, if any. However, they went on strike even before having dialogue with the SSG.

Amaechi therefore vowed that until the teachers call off their strike, government would have no business meeting with them. The lecturers are saying they would rather obey the orders of ASUU than the directive of the governor.

— Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt