A principal lecturer in the Department of Adult Education of the defunct College of Education now Tayo Akpata University, Ekiadolor, Benin, Friday Orobator, has committed suicide over a 13-month unpaid salary.
The senior lecturer, who was in his 50s and whose wife had just been delivered of a baby, hanged himself at his Obakhazbaye, Benin residence.
He committed the act on Friday.
His lifeless body was discovered behind his apartment around 1:30 pm with the green rope he used to hang himself still on his neck.
Policemen from Oba Station moved his body to the morgue around 1:30 pm.
Sources disclosed that the father of four had complained over his inability to feed his family to close friends.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said Orobator told a colleague last Wednesday he was ashamed and tired of begging for money from friends and well-wishers to cater for his family.
The Chairman of COEASU of the tertiary institution, owned by Edo State Government, Fred Omonuwa, confirmed all the staff had not been paid for 13 months.
He pleaded with Governor Godwin Obaseki to do the needful and give them a sense of belonging.
He said “It is clear the death came as a result of lack and inability to access medical facilities. Some months ago he became very sick and depended on friends for assistance but very recently he started complaining of getting tired of consistently begging to survive.
“Of course, everybody knows that the Edo state government owes us 13 months of salary which we have continued to agitate for even before the election but it was tagged “political agitation” the man couldn’t provide for himself. His wife just had a baby. We were surprised yesterday (Friday) that he took his own life.
Before he committed suicide he spoke to some colleagues on Wednesday complaining bitterly about his inability to access medical facility and becoming very ashamed of begging friends for money to treat himself.
“We are aware some friends in Lagos and Benin have done their best in the past few weeks by providing money for him and yesterday he took his life by hanging. We are very much aware that the suicide he committed was as a result of lack of money”.