29/12/2024
A NATION’S BETRAYAL: THE TRAGEDY OF LIVES LOST IN TSU
The year closes with heavy hearts and tear-streaked faces in the academic community of Taraba State University. In a single week, the cold hand of death has claimed two more bright minds: Mr. Moses Kusho, who passed on the 23rd of December, 2024, and Engr. Elachi Emmanuel, who succumbed on the 28th. These men, pillars of their families and by extension, the university, are gone not simply due to the inevitability of life’s end, but as victims of a system that denied them dignity, respect, and even the fruits of their labour.
For years, TSU academic staff have borne the weight of unpaid Earned Academic Allowances, salary backlogs, and an unfulfilled minimum wage, whispered about only on social media by politically motivated aides who dare to paint false rainbows over dark skies. Mr. Kusho and Engr. Emmanuel toiled without relief, denied their rightful pensions, and left this world watching their OPPRESSORS snore comfortably in their beds of privilege.
But what of the families they left behind? What future awaits the children who have lost their fathers, the spouses now burdened with grief and financial uncertainty? What legacy can they hold onto when the very system their loved ones served with dedication repaid them with neglect and disdain?
This is not just a tragedy; it is a betrayal. These men were not mere employees; they were educators, mentors, and builders of society. Yet, the government they worked for denied them the peace of mind to live and the dignity of a secure retirement. Their deaths are a grim reminder of the fragile state of academia in Nigeria, where intellect and dedication are undervalued, and humanity itself is often a casualty of systemic corruption.
As the New Year looms, let us remember Mr. Kusho and Engr. Emmanuel; not only as individuals but as symbols of the need for urgent reform. Their sacrifices must not be in vain. The academic community must rise, not just to mourn but to demand justice. Enough of this endless cycle of exploitation and loss.
Will those in power listen? Or will more lives be lost while OPPRESSORS continue to sleep and snore, indifferent to the pain they cause? Time will tell, but for now, we grieve.
Dr. Garba, Mbave Joshua
Chairperson,
ASUU - TSU