UNIBEN Staff Commits Suicide amid FG’s Failure to Varsity Staff Salaries

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

A staff member of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prince Carter Oshodin committed suicide amid the failure of the federal government to pay salaries of academic and non-academic staff of universities.

The incident took place at Umelu, a community in Upper Sakponba, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Edo State over his dire financial situation.

Oshodin, who has not been paid salaries for seven months due to the strike action embarked by university unions, worked as a data entry personnel at the university.

It was gathered that the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU), which the deceased belong to, has called off its strike recently, but the members were yet to be paid.

Oshodin’s FaceBook confirmed his job description at UNIBEN while dropping a message that “Leave a good legacy behind before you depart.”

In Facebook post in 2017, Oshodin had counselled those who work in the public sector to persevere, as there were better days ahead.

He further said: “Another thing you have to know when working with the government because salary is peanut, you lose hope. Please don’t.

“I know a woman that started work with N125 in 1986 now she is earning over N300, 000 in 2017. That is why you have to be with what you are doing because little drop of water make a mighty ocean.”

A professor in the university, who privately talked to THISDAY, yesterday said it is disheartening that they have not been paid since the strike action began.

He also wondered why the federal government had failed to offset salaries of members of NASU and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) that called off their strikes about three weeks.

He acknowledged that the deceased “is one of our staff members that killed himself due lack of money. Even some months ago, he was quoted to have been advising people on coping strategies. Yet, he took his life, which has put his family in a bigger problem.

“We have not been paid a dime since we went on strike. It will be 10th month by next month. The non-academic staff that resumed since has not been paid anything,” the professor lamented.

A colleague of the deceased said late Oshodin on his Facebook page lamented that he could not meet his finances and was finding it increasingly difficult to pay his two daughters’ school fees.

Edward said: “He committed suicide on Friday. According to a post on his Facebook, he said he was facing financial difficulties. He could not pay the school fees of his children. It is a pathetic situation.”

Police Public Relation Officer, Edo State Police Command, Mr. Chidi Nwabuzor said the matter “has not been officially reported to the police.”

He added that the Divisional Police Officer of the area went to the community for on the spot assessment where the community head confirmed the incident.

Nwabuzor also said the corpse have been taken away by the family of the deceased.