Lecturers in Niger Delta university threaten industrial action over insufficient subvention

The Academic Staff Union of Universities in the Niger Delta university has threatened to call out its members for industrial action after the ongoing national strike embarked upon by ASUU if the Bayelsa state government fails to address pending issues of poor funding and staff welfare at the university.

The chairman of ASUU in the institution, Dr Tonbara Kingdom, issued the threat during a press briefing at the faculty of law campus of the university in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Wednesday.

He said the state government’s monthly subvention to the institution was not enough to pay salaries and pensions, adding that the university’s management had been borrowing money to augment salaries and pensions.

Tonbara said the union had written several letters to the state government and also confirmed that such letters got to the appropriate quarters, but no response of any kind.

He called on the Bayelsa state government to quickly resolve the pending issues of poor funding and staff welfare for the Niger Delta university to avert industrial crisis.