Yemi Obafemi
The Chairman of the University of Ibadan Chapter of ASUU, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, have said establiing more universities will not solve the problems facing Public university but rather improve the capacity of existing universities to be able to admit more students.
Speaking in Ibadan, Oyo state, Akinwole emphasized the need for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review the condition of services in public university in terms of salaries, allowances and infrastructure, noting that due to the poor condition of public universities many lecturers have resigned.
Akinwole said poor and delayed salaries, unpaid allowances, poor infrastructure, lack of respect for the academic community, and the seeming dwindling are have lead many lecturers to resign and in search of greener pastures.
“The union has received reports on how colleagues resign on a monthly basis because of the way lecturers are treated and poorly remunerated in Nigeria. Universities around the world are poaching more quality hands, and if not halted by the government, through intentional reviewing of upward conditions of service, it will be difficult to retain the best hands.
“Vice Chancellors cannot single-handedly employ to replace staff as urgent as it is needed again. They have to contact Abuja for approval, which may take six months to a year, if not more, before they get approval. By this time, the best candidate has gone to a more serious country that respects quality. Sadly, people from higher up there from the Ministry of Education to legislators themselves want to dictate who the universities should employ,” the don said.
The Chairman called on the federal government to address the issues, saying that, “Except President Bola Tinubu arrests the situation by reviewing the conditions of service in terms and salaries, allowances, and infrastructure, many good hands will continue to resign and leave the country. Unfortunately, the same government that is not funding education has a National Assembly proposing to establish 32 more universities”.
