Orji Uzor Kalu, the senator for Abia North, has begged with the Federal Government to think about paying the striking teachers some months’ worth of salary to prevent them and their families from going hungry in response to a barrage of appeals from students and other education stakeholders.
Asked by reporters about the welfare of the Academic Staff Union of Universities strikers on Wednesday night, Kalu pleaded with both the federal government and ASUU to change their positions on the ongoing strike.
Kalu disclosed, “A lot of students from my constituency have been calling me over the matter and I feel it is godly for all Nigerians, including religious leaders, community leaders and all of us to put all hands together to return ASUU back to work and also save their families; some are starving to death”.
He bemoaned the hardship of the academics, who have been without pay for almost five months, and pleaded earnestly with the federal government to “consider paying them some of their salaries while negotiation is still going.”
The Senate Chief Whip, Kalu, emphasized that it is stated in both the Bible and the Koran that “wherever you sow, that is where you reap.
“They have no farms and no other businesses. They have nothing to sustain them”.
In order to preserve the lives of the academics and their families, he urged all parties involved, including the federal government, to act swiftly.
