Prince Carter Oshodin, a staff member at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), committed suicide on Friday due to his precarious financial position.
The deceased had not received his wage from the university, where he worked as a data entry clerk, for months because university unions were on strike.
Punch said that although the Non-Academic Staff Union, to which Oshodin belonged, had lately called off its strike, the members' salaries had not yet been paid.
Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, a University professor who did not want his name to be used regretted the depressing state in which academics on strike had found themselves since the union's industrial action began.
He also questioned why strikebreakers were still not receiving payment from the government.
He said; “Yes, he is our staff that killed himself due to lack of money. Even some months ago, he was quoted to have been advising people on coping strategies and yet he took his life which has put his family in a bigger problem.
We have been no dime since we went on strike. This is the 10th of September, and the non-academic staff that has since resumed have not been paid anything. Boko Haram! No to Western Education.”
Another colleague simply known Edwards said the deceased on his Facebook lamented that he could not meet his financial needs and was finding it increasingly difficult to pay his two daughters’ school fees!
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