The Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) Branch Chairman of the Joint Action Committee of Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Uchenna Nwokeji KSJI has alleged that his life and job are being threatened by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) academics of FUTO Prof. Nwadikom G.
Nwokeji had on Monday March 28, directed all members of the union in the university to embark on the nationwide two weeks strike.
But just two days after FUTO workers complied with his directive, the chairman started receiving anonymous and sack threats for ordering the workers to stay away from the university.
Speaking to newsmen in Owerri, Nwokeji said he specifically got threats to his life and job from the deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Nwadikom G. because he refused to back out from the national strike.
Nwokeji said: “With the threat by Prof. Nwadikom G, DVC Academics FUTO, to deal with me and sack me from FUTO for directing my members to join the nation wide strike, I hereby urge all members to henceforth stay away from FUTO as strict monitoring of the strike will commence tomorrow. “Any member found on campus from tomorrow will have him or herself to blame.
“Please note that in case nobody hears from me and my whereabout is not known, Prof. Nwadikom should be held responsible. Aluta Continua! No Surrender No Retreat”.
He added, “Don’t be surprised if I’m sacked any moment from now. My life and job are in danger, but if they kill me or sack me another JAC and SSSANU executive will spring up in this university.
“The strike is not about Comrade Nwokeji. It’s about saving our public universities from destruction. We don’t have the resources to train our children abroad or in private universities; public universities are our only hope to give our children education”.
Nwokeji used the opportunity to advise the DVC to respect his office, reminding him that nobody punished him for dragging FUTO into the Pantami Professorship debacle.
