Education
Japa blamed as lecturers shortage hits varsities
The Academic Staff Union of Universities branches in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday confirmed this, adding that the shortage was due to the surge in the exit of the lecturers out of Nigeria and the concerns around the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.
ASUU at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said about 100 lecturers had left the university, while the union at the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara, disclosed that the institution was in need of about 1,000 lecturers to fill the vacancies created by those who had left.
The union at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State said over 350 academic vacancies were available at the institution, while 27 lecturers had left two faculties at the University of Lagos, as 100 workers at the University of Uyo travelled out of the country.
The union disclosed that about 500 academic vacancies existed at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, while both academic and non-academic staff of the Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology were leaving the country.
The Chairman, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, Dr. Rotimi Olorunsola, said many of the staff of the institution, both academic and non-academic, had left the university.
Japa in varsities
Olorunsola said, “Yes, some have japa (travelled out of the country), both the academic staff and non-academic.”
The Head of the Media and Protocol, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Mr Victor Akinpelumi, confirmed that many workers of the institution had moved out of the institution.
“It is true many workers, both academic and non-academic, have left the university, but as I am now, I can’t give a specific number. I can confirm that many workers of the university have gone,” he stated.
The Chairman of ASUU, University of Benin, Dr Ray Chikogu, said the shortage of staff in UNIBEN and other universities had been a problem that existed for a long time due to the embargo on employment by the Federal Government.
He said this constituted undue interference by the government in the running of the universities, especially as it affected the recruitment and promotion of staff.
He said, “The teaching staff department is grossly understaffed. For a very long time, academic staff have been overburdened with work in the University of Benin and many other universities in the country.
“It has been a problem for a number of years now because of the embargo on employment in federal universities and the process of recruitment of staff is a very cumbersome one. The university has to obtain permission from the head of service through the accountant-general’s office.
“This is interference by the Federal Government on the internal affairs of the school. What should have been handled by university senates and councils has now been centralised to the point that everything has been muddled up in the university system. It is a very sad situation.
“Many are retiring and they are not being replaced and due to the unfavourable condition much academic staff work under, they have left their jobs and travelled abroad to seek greener pastures, adding to the big problem of brain drain, which is taking its toll on the university system and nothing is being done about it. It appears that the Federal Government is deliberately suffocating the system for reasons best known to them.”
Bureaucratic bottlenecks
The ASUU Chairman at the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, Dr Shehu El-rasheed, said a lot of vacancies existed in the varsity due to bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He said, “A lot of vacancies exist but filling the vacancies has become very difficult due to the tough bureaucratic bottlenecks. A vice-chancellor needs to get clearance from about seven Federal Government agencies and parastatals before a single staffer is recruited.
“Senior professors are retiring and no replacement. In FUK, academic staff are leaving in numbers to countries such Malaysia, Oman, New Zealand, and the US.”
El-Rasheed noted that inadequate academic staff in FUK could be associated with inadequate funding, “by the Federal Government and bureaucratic bottlenecks brought by IPPIS; poor remuneration and harsh economic conditions.”
IPP was introduced by the Federal Government a few years ago as part of measures to solve the problem of ghost workers and civil servants who earned multiple salaries.
However, a lot of workers, particularly those in universities, are not comfortable with the initiative, as it does not enable the institutions to employ workers even when such universities are highly understaffed.
The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University and the leadership of ASUU in the institution, while speaking in separate interviews, said there was a shortage of staff members in the university.
The Chairman of the OAU ASUU, Prof Tony Odiwe, decried the poor treatment of academic staff members and demanded a better working environment for the lecturers.
He said, “The government doesn’t care about the system, treating us as if we are slaves, terrible conditions of service, no motivation, and poor facilities. In addition to this, retired members are not being replaced, we are extremely overworked.”
On the shortage of lecturers, Odiwe said, “Our members have gone and many are still planning to leave especially, the younger ones in the system.
“Yes, Japa has contributed immensely to it. It is natural as humans that we want to work or live in a place where we are valued, where we will be fulfilled and contribute to the growth and development of our society.
“Yes, retirement has contributed to it. For example in my department, over five of our members have retired in the last five years and they have not been replaced. You should also add the fact that some of our members have passed on. The IPPIS has caused enormous damage and the earlier it is scrapped the better for all of us.”
Speaking on behalf of the management, OAU Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the institution was facing a shortage of both academic and non-academic staff.
Olanrewaju, however, could not give the number of vacancies in the institution.
He urged the Federal Government to allow the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Simeon Bamire, to fill vacancies that exist within the institution’s workforce.
In Katsina State, the issue of inadequate academic staff in the state-owned Umaru Musa Yar’adua University was raised by workers in the institution.
Findings showed the institution made use of visiting lecturers from the nearby Federal University, Dutsinma, and from other universities across Nigeria.
It was also found that many of the university lecturers also handled extra courses aside from those assigned to them because of inadequate academic staff.
Meanwhile, the ASUU Chairman of the Federal University, Dutsinma, Dr Jibrin Shagari, said, “The FUDMA is affected by mass academy staff exodus, two professors exited the Faculty of Management Sciences last month, as well as a lecturer.
“Some of the staff died, while some slumped and are suffering from stroke. Many academic staff have lost interest in their jobs because of insecurity, overloaded work, non-living wages, no leave due to semester running, withheld salaries, wages, and promotion arrears.
The ASUU Chairman, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Prof. Nurudeen Almustapha, called on the government and other relevant authorities to urgently address the issue of brain drain in Nigerian universities.
He said the brain drain was a result of the japa syndrome, as well as the non-replacement of retiring staff.
“We are having a serious shortage of lecturers here at UDUS, and I know the issue of Japa syndrome among university lecturers cannot be overlooked.
“Most of the young lecturers who are still very energetic now look for opportunities outside the country where they can explore their God-given talent better.
“Also, there has not been any recruitment in the last few years to replace those who are retiring or leaving the profession for greener pastures.
He, however, confirmed that between the year 2000 and now, at least 100 persons had left the school either due to retirement or japa syndrome.
The chairman further said the introduction of IPPIS also contributed to the problem faced by the universities in the country.
“The introduction of IPPIS was also a major factor contributing to Japa in the school as most of those leaving the system are citing irregular payments,” he stated.
Education
Governor Mbah Increases Monthly Subvention to ESUT by N115m, Appeals to ASUU to Suspend Strike
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved an additional N115 million monthly subvention for the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), as part of efforts to address concerns surrounding the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ESUT chapter.
The additional funding will raise the state government’s monthly subvention to ESUT from the current N161 million to N276 million, representing a cumulative increase of N140 million since February 2026.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said the additional funding underscored the administration’s commitment to strengthening ESUT’s capacity to meet its financial obligations, particularly its responsibility to staff and the continued delivery of quality academic services.
“Governor Mbah has demonstrated once again that his administration places the welfare of workers and the uninterrupted education of our young people at the heart of its priorities. This additional N115 million monthly intervention is a substantial commitment of public resources aimed at strengthening ESUT and ensuring that the institution can meet its obligations to its staff and students,” Prof. Onyia said.
He explained that prior to February 2026, the state government was providing N136 million monthly to ESUT. However, beginning in February, the government commenced an additional monthly intervention of N25 million specifically for the ESUT College of Medicine (ESUCOM) to support the payment of 120 additional staff, bringing the total monthly government support to the university to N161 million.
Prof. Onyia said the latest approval of an additional N115 million would raise the state government’s total monthly subvention to ESUT to N276 million.
He further said the increase would help ESUT towards achieving the salary agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government.
He appealed to ASUU members at ESUT to reciprocate the government’s intervention by suspending the industrial action and resuming academic activities, in the interest of students whose academic progress may be disrupted by the strike.
“We appeal to ASUU-ESUT to reciprocate this gesture by resuming academic activities, while all outstanding issues are addressed through constructive dialogue. Our students should not be made to bear the consequences of disagreements that can be resolved amicably,” the SSG said.
The SSG reaffirmed Governor Mbah’s commitment to the welfare of workers and the sustained development of ESUT, saying the substantial increase in government funding demonstrated the priority the administration places on education and the uninterrupted academic calendar.
He urged all stakeholders, including the university management and ASUU, to embrace dialogue and work collaboratively towards resolving the outstanding issues, stressing that the ultimate objective should be to ensure that ESUT students receive uninterrupted and quality education.
He further assured the university community that the Mbah administration would continue to support ESUT within available resources, while taking necessary steps to strengthen the institution and position it to fulfil its mandate as a leading university of science and technology.
United Nigeria Airlines has pledged N20 million to sponsor the prestigious annual Chinua Achebe Prize for Fiction, administered by the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) for the next 10 years.
The sponsorship deal was disclosed today by the executive chairman of the airline, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, following a discussion with the ANA president, Dr. Usman Akanbi.
Under the arrangement, the airline will provide N2 million every year for the next 10 years to ANA, bringing the total sponsorship to N20 million, a commitment the association says would guarantee the continuation of the prize regardless of the change in the state government.
The yearly award which was initiated by the Anambra State government in 2021 in conjunction with the ANA leadership, has faced financial constraints in the last three years following the failure of the present state administration to continue its sponsorship.
Though the Governor Willie Obiano administration began the sponsorship with one million naira, the Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration that succeeded it in 2022 continued the sponsorship and agreed to ANA’s request to double it in consideration of inflation and administrative costs like payments to judges.
However, after two years, the organisers say the state government appears to have lost interest in continuing with the sponsorship despite several letters reminding it of its promise.
The apparent lack of commitment caused United Nigeria Airlines to intervenee and rescue the prize from uncertainty.
Announcing the airline’s decision to step in, Dr. Akanbi quoted Prof Okonkwo as saying: “Prof Achebe is too precious in our consciousness for the award to continue to suffer the current epileptic funding.”
Speaking on why the airline made the decision to take over the sponsorship, Prof. Okonkwo said that Achebe’s legacy demands this level of commitment.
“Very few men and women of letters and culture in recent history”, he stated, “have brought as much attention and honour to the black race and the African world as the great Achebe through his writings, lectures, speeches, intellectual activism, ethical conduct, and intermittent interventions in political affairs which has made him an authentic conscience of the Nigerian people.
Reacting to the sponsorship, the ANA president, who is a senior academic at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State said: “We are immensely grateful to Prof. Okonkwo and his airline for their patriotic intervention. Prof was not just a world-class raconteur and essayist, but also the ANA founder who started our association in 1981 at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka and accepted to serve as its first president, thus giving it the credibility and platform that has made the association highly respected beyond Nigeria’s shores.”
Akanbi also highlighted Okonkwo’s consistent record of honouring Achebe, stating that Prof. Okonkwo has for some been hard to preserve the late author’s legacy.
For instance, he was solely responsible for financing the erection of a statue of the late Prof. Achebe which was unveiled in July by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State at the Ugwunwasike Roundabout in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Achebe’s own hometown.
The prize sponsorship is the latest effort made by Prof. Okonkwo and United Nigeria Airlines to cement Achebe’s legacy.
In June, one of the two Boeing 737-800NG aircraft purchased by United Nigeria Airlines was named after the late author, while the other was named after His Royal Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha.
Naming these two aircraft after both men is in line with Prof. Okonkwo’s determination to uphold their values.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, has pledged to overhaul the welfare system of university lecturers and other academic and non-teaching staff in the state if elected governor in 2027.
Odii made the commitment when a delegation of university lecturers from Ebonyi State visited him at his Banana Island residence to discuss areas of possible cooperation and synergy ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The PDP candidate said his administration would introduce a comprehensive welfare scheme for staff of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) and workers in the state’s newly established tertiary institutions, including the Aeronautic University in Onueke and the ICT University in Oferekpe.
He said the welfare of university workers must be treated as a priority because of their crucial role in producing the skilled manpower needed for the development of the state.
Odii described as “embarrassing and condemnable” a situation where lecturers struggle to afford decent accommodation, maintain reliable means of transportation or pay their children’s school fees, including in some cases where the children attend institutions where their parents teach.
He expressed particular concern over the remuneration of university professors, arguing that a professor earning less than the equivalent of $500 monthly should be considered an emergency requiring urgent government intervention.
The PDP candidate promised that the welfare challenges confronting lecturers and other workers in the tertiary education sector would receive attention within the first six months of his administration if elected.
He said his government would review the remuneration and welfare packages of university workers and introduce measures to make academic careers more attractive, while creating an environment that would enable lecturers and other university staff to perform their duties effectively.
Odii stressed that improving the education sector was central to his vision for Ebonyi State, adding that universities could only produce the quality manpower required for sustainable development when their workers were adequately motivated and supported.
Students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State, were allegedly prevented from writing their examinations after they failed to purchase textbooks reportedly authored or recommended by some of their lecturers.
According to complaints received from affected students, the students had paid their required school fees and were duly expected to participate in the examinations. However, they were allegedly turned away from the examination hall because they had not purchased the textbooks.
The students expressed frustration over what they described as an unfair practice, questioning why payment of school fees and fulfilment of other academic requirements would not be sufficient to qualify them to sit for their examinations.
One of the students who spoke on the matter alleged that the affected students were asked to leave the examination venue after it was discovered that they had not bought the textbooks.
The students have appealed to the university authorities to investigate the allegation and ensure that no student is denied access to an examination on the basis of failure to purchase a lecturer’s textbook.
For fear of further victimisation, this report will not disclose the department and names of the lecturers involved.
The development has sparked concerns about academic practices and the welfare of students, with calls for university management to clarify whether lecturers are permitted to make the purchase of their textbooks a condition for students to participate in examinations.
The allegation could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report. The university authorities are yet to publicly comment on the matter.
Students and parents are expected to watch closely for the university’s response to the allegation, particularly given the potential implications for students’ academic progression.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has banned, with immediate effect, all forms of orchestration, celebration and “signing-off” activities by final-year students in connection with their final examinations on all university campuses and premises.
In a statement issued by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Comrade Aloysius Emeka Attah, the university said the decision was prompted by recurring incidents of chaos, violence, vandalism and disruption of academic and administrative activities associated with such events.
“Management is also concerned about the infiltration of unauthorised persons onto campus during these activities, which poses a serious threat to the safety and security of students, staff and university property.
“In fulfilment of its statutory obligation to maintain order, protect lives and safeguard property, Management considers such activities unacceptable and a breach of University regulations,” the statement said.
The university spokesman warned that any student found involved in organising or participating in any form of “signing-off” or related activities would face severe disciplinary sanctions, including rustication and withdrawal from the university, in accordance with the Students’ Handbook.
The statement also warned non-students and outsiders against entering the university premises in connection with the banned activities.
“Any person who is not a bona fide student or staff of the University found on University premises in connection with such activities shall be arrested and prosecuted for breach of peace, trespass and disorderly conduct,” it stated.
The Registrar of the university, Dr Chinenye Gloria Okeke, had earlier communicated the directive to the university community through an internal memo, urging students to remain focused on their academic responsibilities.
She also called on staff, students and members of the public to report any planned or ongoing misconduct to the Chief Safety Officer, Dean of Student Affairs or the nearest university authority for immediate action.
The university, under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bond Ugochukwu Stanley Anyaehie, said it remained committed to providing a safe, peaceful and conducive environment for teaching, learning and research.
Management, it added, would not tolerate any action capable of undermining the safety, order and academic environment of the institution.
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