The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decried the death of atleast ten of its members since the wake of the industrial action to press home their demands for better deals from the Federal Government.
The ASUU chairman , Ambrose Alli University chapter, Cyril Onogbosele, made the revelation on Wednesday when the National President of the Union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, led other national delegates in a solidarity protest to the University over their unpaid salaries and other sundry issues in the institution.
The union leader accused the state governor, Godwin Obaseki of causing undue hardship in the lives of the university workers as most of them have not been paid salaries for over 19 months and cannot meet up with their financial obligations.
According to him , ten lecturers of the institution have so far lost their lives due to the hardship that accompanied the denial of the payment of their salaries by the University management, since the commencement of the strike.
He added that the protest was to further draw the attention of the people of the State to the action of the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and to prevail on him to address the issues.
In his remark, the National President of the Union, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the national body was in Ekpoma in solidarity with the University’s chapter of ASUU over the banning of union activities on campus by Governor Obaseki.