12th November, 2013
The death of former National President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr. Festus Iyayi on Tuesday afternoon, has been described as very shocking and disappointing.
The National Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Chibuzo Asomugha, stated this while reacting to Iyayi’s death.
Asomugha, who spoke with P.M.NEWS shortly after Iyayi passed on, said that he was lost for words and could not believe that Iyayi was dead.
“What! How did it happen? I can’t believe this! This is quite shocking and disappointing. I’m lost for words, I can’t make further comments, please,” was the way he responded to the news of Iyayi’s passing.
Also reacting to the sudden death of Iyayi, Chairman of University of Lagos chapter of ASUU, Oghenekaro Ogbinaka, condemned the manner in which the former National President of the union lost his life.
“The convoy of the Kogi State governor in its usual manner, has cut short the life of one of our best. It is a very sad day for ASUU,” Ogbinaka said.
Calls to the phone lines of ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, were unanswered at the time of this report. He also did not respond to the text message sent to him.
Iyayi died Tuesday afternoon in an accident around Lokoja in Kogi State, northcentral Nigeria.
He was on his way from Benin, southern Nigeria, to Kano for the ASUU NEC meeting at Bayero University, Kano, when the accident occurred.
ASUU chapters have been meeting to end the university teachers’ strike that began on 1 July to compel the Federal Government to implement the agreement on funding of universities and improved salaries of the university teachers reached in 2009.
The meeting the late Iyayi was going to attend was part of efforts to resolve the grey areas to end the strike after the Federal Government conceded some grounds to the striking lecturers last week.
—Damilare Okunola