Chief Bamidele Akinwale, the Chairman of the Ekiti State University Chapter of the Nigerian Universities Pensioners Association, on Tuesday expressed alarm over the sufferings of members as a result of the more than N1.5 billion in gratuities owed to them over the previous 15 years.
Additionally, according to Akinwale, "Our members are owed five months' pensions (due from May 2022 to the present) because of what we are told is "the current Academic Staff Union of Universities strike in the institution."
The retirees, who spoke at a news conference in Ado Ekiti, claimed that while some had already got a quarter of their gratuities, others had not. They urged the state government to act to prevent their deaths by boosting the university's subvention.
The NUPA EKSU leader said, “The pathetic issue at stake is that many of our people are either dead or chronically ill as of today because their dues are not paid and have no money to take care of themselves.
“We are calling on Ekiti State Government to intervene in this matter by bailing out the university through a special fund which may likely save our people from going to their graves early.
“We have graduates who are jobless at home, if our gratuities and pensions are paid promptly, some of us would have been able to help them to establish trades or businesses which would help us at our old age.
“On this basis, we want to appeal to the state government, who owns EKSU to direct the striking lecturers to call off their strike so that life will return to that university.
“We are saying this because ASUU in several state universities nationwide have called off the strike while ASUU in some universities did not participate in the state at all including Bamidele Olumilua University, Ikere Ekiti, which is equally owned by Ekiti State Government.
“We call on Ekiti State Government to increase funding of EKSU, particularly the monthly subvention. At the same time, stakeholders including staff, pensioners and alumni of the university should sit up in providing a road map for the prosperity of the institution, particularly in the areas of revenue generation,” Akinwale said.