Academic and non-academic staffs of the Akwa Ibom State University University, Ikot Akpaden, in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state, on Tuesday, shut down the institution to express their anger over the implementation of the new Minimum wage.

It was gathered that when the new Minimum wage was implemented some staff salaries and allowances were not paid in full.

The affected staff numbering over one hundred, blocked all access roads and the main entrance to the University, displaying placards with various inscriptions.

Some of the inscriptions read; “pay us our peculiarities allowances”, “we are tired of half salaries”, “why treating us as beggers” “implement the new Minimum wage now” among others.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Eno Ibanga, who confirmed the incident said the group acted against the law, adding the management of the institution was not informed about their activities.

“I came to the office this morning and saw the gate locked. According to our law before you down tools, you have to tell the Chief Executive, which in this case is the University Management, what their grievances were but they did not.

“The genesis of this protest is that the union went to the government for negotiations on the minimum wage. Government approved the minimum wage table and gave to me.

” It is the implementation of this table that they said I should have added something. But I said no, when government give you a table to implement, you pay to the letter, what should I add? I cannot sit in my office and generate a new table.

“When this happened, I called all the unions and discussed with them. This is the table approved and note, each union sent a representative to these negotiations with the government before this table came out.

“Because of this new minimum wage table, some people are underpaid and they have some shortage. We wrote back to the government to tell them that some people are short paid. I asked the registrar to send out a circular that there are some disagreements on this table but let us pay what we have when they have brought out any changes, we will keep and if they are any arrears, we pay.

“But I came this morning, they locked the gate and started this protest. I have reported to government and they have already invited them for meeting with the head of service tomorrow” the Vice-Chancellor said