The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, has assured that his government would look into issues confronting the Abia State University, ABSU, Uturu, to resolve them and make the school the envy of other tertiary institutions in the country.
He, however, tasked the University to put on its thinking cap, quit begging for funds and source means of generating revenue to sustain itself.
He spoke on Wednesday when he met with the executives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, ABSU Chapter, led by the Zonal Coordinator, Calabar Zone, Dr Happiness Uduak.
Otti noted that a lot needed to be done to fix the institution, adding that the state government would do everything within its capacity to assist the University.
He expressed surprise over the 18-month salary differential which the union alleged its members in Abia were being owed, as well as the 11 months’ salary arrears owed lecturers by the previous administration.
Governor Otti said universities, especially when they are not new, should be run independent of government subvention and advised members of the union to rather evolve ways to make the University financially independent.
He said, “It is important that we put on our thinking cap and remove our begging cap because this whole idea of begging is the problem that we have in Nigeria.
“Even as a country, we keep begging, we keep borrowing and we need to think of being financially independent.
“Even from research alone, if anything is happening in the University, we should be able to generate enough resources to do a few things”.
”We need to begin to think of how to make our Universities financially independent.
“Let us rechannel our ABSU ASUU to begin to think of how they can contribute to making the University independent, and I will support you.
“We need to think in that direction because it is more sustainable”.
The Abia Chief Executive added that he would meet with the University Management to iron out some issues to strengthen the corporate governance of the institution.
Otti promised to set up a visitation panel at the university as well as look into the union’s request for increased subvention.
Earlier in her speech, the leader of the ASUU delegation, Dr Uduak commended Governor Otti for the numerous developmental projects he had embarked upon in Abia State and the university community since assuming office.
Uduak used the medium to disclose that members of ASUU ABSU were owed 11 months of outstanding salaries from 2022 and requested an upward review of subvention to the University as well as renegotiation of their salaries.
“We appeal to the government to set up a visitation panel to the school to checkmate some anomalies and revisit the deplorable Okigwe-Uturu road leading to the institution as well as address the 18 months differentials to members”.