January 26, 2023

Sanniquellie Nimba University Campus Liberia: – We wish to extend our heartfelt compliments and appreciation to members of the Faculty Association for their diligence and tireless support to the leadership of this Association. We honor your trust and confidence repose in us to stair the affairs of this noble Association. Fellow academicians, professional colleagues, we want to reaffirm our commitment to you all for the honor you bestowed on us and promise to never betrayed.

Members of the Fourth estates and people of Nimba County, as you are aware the faculty serves as an integral component of the Nimba University. As such, this group of professional people deserves preferential treatment including increment in salaries, conducive learning environment for the students and faculty, better living standards and basic necessities of life.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the press, it might sound disheartening and frustrating that since the elevation of the Nimba County Community College to a full degree granting institution through an act of the 54th national legislature in 2019, the university isn’t receiving government fullest support. As it stands, faculty and staff of the University received very low salary compare to other tertiary institutions around the country. 

Issues confronting the university that initiated this press conference include:

Low salary for faculty and staff which needs increment in order to enhance the quality of learning at the county’s highest institution of learning.

The central government failure to release its third and final quarter of the operationalize and tuition free grant budget that will assist in purchasing stationeries, payment of goods and services, and the payment of employees on supplementary pay roll in the employ of the University.

It’s annoying to announce that based on the government’s deliberate action to release these funds, Our 7th commencement convocation that was scheduled to be held on the 24th of February has been postponed to an unspecified date. Interestingly, our staff on the supplementary payroll have not received their hard earn salary since December of 2022 as we are driving slowly towards the end of January in 2023. Fellow Nimbains, Liberians, and members of the press, in such a case, how do you expect professional men and women to survive in the midst of such huge financial inconsistency on the part of our National government?

Fellow listeners, our salaries continue to remain static, with no increment. During our first strike and stay home action in previous budget year, we were talked to by Senator Koung and other opinion leaders of Nimba to forgo the 2022 budget allocation with the understanding that the Nimba University will be heighted and considered highly in the 2023 budget.

Based on this arrangement, we respectfully agreed and went to perform our assigned duties at the University. We want to safely inform you that nothing is being done by the National government in fulfilling the promise made. Glancing through the 2023 budget, there’s no substantive amount added to effectuate salaries. The Nimba University 2023 budget stands at 1.3 million considering salaries, goods and services, and tuition free grant from the draft budget before the national legislature.

Furthermore, there is a need for additional classroom construction considering the influx of students every semester. Presently, we have over 1,200 active and registered students this semester under our tutorship. Inadequate chairs and instructional materials to run the affairs of the University has become our nightmare. If the Central government was responding to her responsibilities, we would have addressed major issues confronting the University.

Again, the President of the University has spent a little over one year serving the University, the government hasn’t been able to make provision of a single vehicle that will add value to the president instead, he borrows vehicle to compute from his house to work, even to Monrovia. At present, he is using the Vehicle that belongs to the Dean of the College of Engineering something that isn’t healthy for the functionalities of a modern University. What have Nimba University done to be treated in such form and manner?

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, fellow Nimbains and Liberians, on January 25, 2023 at about 2:00 PM, members and officials of the faculty Association went to a joint session and unanimously agreed to institute a strike action by immediately staying away from all academic activities until the below listed pertinent issues are addressed by our central government. The issues include but not limited to the following enlisted below:

That the government increases our salaries immediately to commensurate with our credentials and positions in the 2023 budget is before the National Legislature for approval.

That the National government unconditionally release our last quarter of the 2022 fiscal budget to enhance the success of our pending graduation, enable us to pay our staff on supplementary payroll, purchase stationeries, pay for goods and services for the effectiveness of the University’s operations

That the government provides facility for faculty to be used as faculty lounge, research center, and additional offices. As professional group of people, you don’t expect us to take instructional materials along with us in our bags on the University campus. As we speak, the University lacks faculty lounge, no internet facility to enhance research activities. In our contemporary world, research is the fulcrum and pillar of every University. The case with Nimba University is alarming therefore our National government and Nimba stakeholders must step in now to resolve the matter.

That the president of Liberia nominates members of the board of Trustees of the Nimba University based on recommendations that has been lying on his desk for more than a year now. As you may be aware, we lost our board chairman Dr. Frederick B. Norkeh during the early part of the October, 2022. At present, the University doesn’t have a well structure board members except those that were appoint during the tenure of president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of which Hon. Dehpue Zuo is the acting Chairman due to the vacuum created as a result of Dr. Norkeh’s demise. However the act that created the University calls for a nomination of new board members that will contain Private business entities, individuals, companies, National commission on higher education ect    

That the National government makes available funding for the immediate purchase of the University’s President Vehicle. It looks disgraceful for a University president to be riding a pick up that doesn’t belongs to him in fact.

Until these conditions are met, we remain resolve to disengage from all academic activities. My faculty has been instructed to go about their normal businesses until the government of Liberia can do what is needful. We strive to acquire the education we are dispensing today as such, we must be treated with respect and some level of professionalism equity and fairness by giving to us our required benefit.

Done on the 26th day of January, A.D 2023 in the city of Sanniquellie on the main campus of the Nimba University.

Signed:

              Philip N. Kwahmie

              Secretary General, NUFA

              0770-728-472/0555-143-448

Approved:

                   Mr. Theophilus G. Younquoi

                   Chairman, NUFA

                   0770-376-078/0886-635-520