Students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) are worried about a possible strike after lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staged a protest on campus on Tuesday.

The protest, led by the branch chairman, Professor Michael Ugwuene, was part of a nationwide demonstration against what the union described as “inhuman treatment” by the Federal Government.

According to the lecturers, the Federal Government has refused to implement the renegotiated 2009 ASUU agreement and has left them on the same salary scale for the past 15 years.

“Our professors are not earning more than ₦500,000 monthly. They are still owing us three and half years of salary arrears, even though we have continued to graduate students,” Prof. Ugwuene said.

Other lecturers, including Professors Uzochukwu Onyebinama and Marbel Ifeoma Onwuka, warned that members would have no choice but to down tools if their demands were ignored. They also dismissed the government’s Tertiary Institution Staff Support Funds (TISSF) loan as “a big scam.”

During the protest, some students expressed worry that their academic calendar may once again be disrupted if ASUU embarks on strike. Many pleaded with the Federal Government to meet the union’s demands to safeguard their education.

For now, the campus remains calm, but the looming threat of another ASUU strike has left students anxious about their future.