Senate Chief Whip Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has donated cash and food items to members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State.
The teachers were at Kalu’s Igbere Camp Neya home in Bende Local Government of Abia State to seek his intervention to end the crisis.
Besides seeking end to the crisis, the group led by Dr. Okoro Christopher Kalu, a senior lecturer and an engineer, also sought Kalu’s assistance to cushion the effect of the economic hardship of “the no-work-no-pay” imposed by the Federal Government against striking members of the union, which they said was taking its toll on their members.
He said the strike had brought untold hardship on the lecturers and their families due to the ”no-work-no-pay rule” by the Federal Government, urging the senator to intervene by assisting them.
Referring to Abia State University when he was the governor, the Senate Chief Whip told the visitors that the strike could have been avoided.
He said when he was the governor; the state university never went on strike because he ensured prompt payment of lecturers’ salary, leave allowances, ’13th month’ and other emoluments.
The former governor reiterated his earlier appeal to the Federal Government to resume payment of salary to striking lecturers.
He said ASUU and the Federal Government should reach a truce for the benefit of students.
Kalu gave a bag of rice to each of the lecturers numbering over 90, a cattle and cash to the union to help them cushion the effect of the strike on them and their families.