The management of Abia State University, Uturu, has suspended a Professor of Economics, Nnamdi Chinwendu Nwaeze, over social media posts concerning the welfare and remuneration of workers at the institution.
The university announced the suspension in a statement issued on Thursday by its Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu.
According to the management, the decision followed “various social media posts” attributed to Nwaeze which it said were inimical to the interests of the university and uncomplimentary to its Visitor.
The university also constituted an investigative panel to examine the matter, stating that the suspension would remain in effect pending the outcome of the investigation.
The development followed a Facebook post by the professor in which he criticised the alleged poor remuneration and welfare conditions of academic staff at the university.
Nwaeze claimed that lecturers at the institution were among the lowest-paid university academics in Nigeria, alleging that the university was still operating under the 2009 ASUU/FG salary structure. He further alleged that some lecturers had not received salaries corresponding to their promotions and that salary arrears and other entitlements remained unpaid.
He also alleged that deductions made from workers’ salaries for union dues had not been remitted to the Academic Staff Union of Universities, while lecturers were yet to receive Earned Academic Allowances.
The professor called on the Abia State Government to intervene in the dispute between the university and its academic staff and ensure that outstanding obligations to workers were settled.
His suspension comes amid an ongoing industrial dispute involving the Abia State University branch of ASUU, which has declared an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare-related demands.
