6 tertiary institution staffs die while waiting for unpaid 5 months salaries

According to the Joint Action Forum of Academic Staffs (JAFAS) which declared an indefinite strike action over the non-payment of their salaries on Tuesday, the staff died because they lacked funds to pay for adequate health care.

A member who spoke on behalf of the association, Kelani Ajadi, disclosed that the government was given fair warning before taking the industrial action.

"We had embarked on a 3 days warning strike and we gave the management of our various institution a week to give room for negotiation," he said.

"Since the negotiation is not forthcoming, we decided to take our destinies into our hands."

According to him, six JAFAS members, three of whom are from Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, died because they could not foot their medical bills.

"They could not get enough funds to maintain themselves. Some are still critically lying in hospitals."

Ajadi said the government should release funds to institutions, instead of expecting them to rely on internally generated revenue (IGR).

"Though we welcome the idea that the internally generated revenues of various institutions should be improved, this should not be attached to payment of salaries.

"Government should release the statutory f."

JAFAS comprises members of Association Staff Unions of Polytechnics (ASUP) and College of Education Academic Staff Unions (COEASU) at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oke-Ogun Polytechnic, Saki, Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology, Igbo-Ora and Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo.