It was gathered by Hobnob News reports that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has sounded the alarm about the mass resignation of lecturers from Nigerian universities, revealing that numerous departments and units in public universities are experiencing staff shortages due to lecturers seeking better opportunities elsewhere.
Apparently, ASUU pointed to factors such as poor and delayed salaries, unpaid allowances, inadequate infrastructure, lack of respect for the academic community, and a perceived diminishing hope as the reasons behind the recent surge in lecturers’ resignations.
It was gathered that Professor Ayo Akinwole, the chairman of the University of Ibadan chapter, expressed these concerns on Tuesday in Ibadan, emphasizing that Nigeria’s public universities are currently facing distressing conditions, evident in the stress and frustration faced by poorly-remunerated lecturers.
Akinwole suggested that unless President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervenes by reviewing the conditions of service, including terms, salaries, allowances, and infrastructure, the trend of experienced hands resigning and leaving the country will persist.
It was said that he criticized the irony of the government proposing to establish 32 more universities while failing to adequately fund existing ones.
Akinwole argued that merely creating more universities would not address the core issues, proposing instead an improvement in the carrying capacity of existing universities to admit more students.
The ASUU chairman highlighted that the union has been receiving reports of colleagues resigning monthly due to the mistreatment and poor remuneration of lecturers in Nigeria. He warned that unless the government intentionally reviews and improves the conditions of service, the global competition for quality lecturers will make it challenging to retain the best talents.
Akinwole also revealed the challenges posed by government policies, indicating that the lengthy approval process from Abuja for employment hampers the urgent replacement of staff. He lamented that individuals with limited understanding of university management dictate decisions about the nation’s universities, undermining the effective administration of the educational institutions.
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