Government has described the strike by lecturers at the University of Cape as unnecessary. The lecturers withdrew their services on Monday to protest delays in the payment of their research and book allowances for the last academic year. They have resolved not to return to the lecture room until their allowances are paid in full. But Deputy Education Minister Mahama Ayariga said the action is unnecessary because the allowances have been paid. “Last week, our ministry, the Ministry of Finance and the Controller and Accountant General worked very hard to ensure that the accounts were credited. And I called the president of the University Teachers Association of Ghana…and informed him that their accounts have been credited and therefore they should check,” he indicated, stressing that the president of the association had even confirmed the payment. Meanwhile lecturers at the University of Cape Coast are also accusing government of mismanaging the account from which the allowances are paid. President of the University of Cape Coast branch of UTAG, Dr. Eric Wilmont said the account is currently empty. The lecturers pay a percentage of their salaries for government to top up as their book and research allowances. The Cape Coast University UTAG President Dr. Eric Wilmont said government must be interested in how the amount was mismanaged. “As we speak, the national president tells us that the account from which this money must be paid is empty. This is something our members cannot understand. You deduct monies from people’s salaries and the account is empty at the end of the year. If government is not interested in who carelessly mismanaged the account, then I think there is something wrong here,” he said.