ASUU ABSU Rejects Prof Nwaeze Suspension, Vows No Return

The Academic Staff Union of Universities chapter at Abia State University has rejected the suspension of lecturer Prof. Nnamdi Nwaeze.

ABSU-ASUU maintained it will not call off its indefinite strike until he is reinstated, linking the disciplinary action directly to the same welfare crisis — unpaid salaries, withheld allowances, and ignored agreements — that drove the union to withdraw services in the first place. 

The position was stated unambiguously by branch chairman Dr. Chidi Mbah, who confirmed that the union met with university management and made plain it would not accept the action under any circumstances, arguing that proper disciplinary procedures outlined in the university’s own edict were not followed before the suspension was issued.

The context behind Nwaeze’s suspension is significant. The strike began on Tuesday, August 11, with full approval from the ASUU national leadership following a National Executive Council meeting. 

The following morning — Wednesday — Prof. Nwaeze made a Facebook post about the conditions facing lecturers at ABSU, and was suspended the same day. Mbah confirmed that every claim in that post was accurate. 

ABSU lecturers continue to be paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure despite subsequent national agreements, promoted staff are not placed on the appropriate scale, and many receive only half of their monthly pay. 

Beyond that, approximately N473 million was deducted from cooperative funds without remittance to staff — an issue that predates the current administration but which has not been resolved. 

Of the estimated 557 lecturers employed before this year, salary arrears range from two months to as long as 44 months depending on the individual, with some owed 17, 30, or 35 months of outstanding pay.

At a government meeting on Friday, state officials distanced themselves from the suspension, telling the union they had not directed the Vice-Chancellor to take the action and that university management should bear responsibility. 

The Vice-Chancellor was present at the meeting. ASUU pressed the issue, and Mbah described the talks as initially discouraging before a more constructive tone emerged later in the session. 

Officials indicated a response would be delivered before a union congress scheduled for Tuesday, at which members will consider any offer made by the government before deciding next steps. 

Mbah declined to disclose the details of the offer, citing the need to brief the congress first. He was unambiguous on one point, however — even if every other demand is resolved, the ASUU ABSU rejects Prof Nwaeze suspension position will hold the strike in place until the professor is formally reinstated.

The wider picture Mbah painted of life inside ABSU is one of sustained and deepening institutional neglect. 

Lecturers have never received the Earned Academic Allowance, a benefit that academic staff in comparable federal institutions have long been entitled to. 

The arrangement of deducting school fees from salaries — which provided practical relief for staff with children — was discontinued, and the union is demanding it be restored. 

Governor Alex Otti approved the union’s demands as far back as April 29, but nothing has been implemented since, with Mbah identifying possible bottlenecks involving the Head of Service and the Accountant-General. 

The union attended more than 30 meetings in Umuahia before the strike began, and both the Commissioner for Tertiary Education and the Secretary to the State Government have acknowledged in writing that the action is justified and the demands legitimate. 

The ASUU ABSU rejects Prof Nwaeze suspension stand is, in Mbah’s words, non-negotiable — and after three years of unimplemented agreements, he says withdrawal of services was the only avenue left.