The Akure zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the federal government to urgently recruit more lecturers for tertiary institutions nationwide.
According to ASUU, universities in the Akure zone have experienced a significant loss of over 40 percent of their lecturers due to retirements and relocations abroad in search of better opportunities.
During a press briefing in Akure, the chairman of ASUU in the zone, Prof. Adeola Egbetokun, expressed disapproval of the federal government’s proposed new minimum wage of N48,000 for workers.
Prof. Egbetokun emphasized the need to lift the embargo on employment in universities.
Prof. Egbetokun highlighted that many academic staff have either retired or moved abroad, yet the government continues to prevent the hiring of new staff, which he stated is a violation of university laws.
He pointed out that some departments have not been able to recruit any new staff members for nearly a decade, leaving the remaining academic staff underpaid and overburdened as they struggle to keep the educational system operational.
ASUU-NEC demands the removal of the constraints imposed by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) and calls for the immediate unfreezing of essential positions across all university departments.
They believe that the federal government should promptly engage in collective bargaining to finalize discussions on the new minimum wage.
Furthermore, ASUU urges federal, state, and council governments to critically review and reconsider all unviable policies and programs promoted by international financial institutions such as the World Bank.
The aim is to reclaim Nigeria’s sovereignty and restore the confidence of Nigerians in these financial entities.
