University of Ibadan
10:07
ASUU Raises Concerns Over FG's Plan to Establish 47 New Universities
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Ibadan (UI) is expressing discontent with the National Assembly's proposal to create an additional 47 federal universities.
In an interview on Tuesday, January 9, ASUU Chairman in UI, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, shared his concerns while awarding scholarships to deserving students in Ibadan. Akinwole questioned the rationale behind creating more universities when the government is grappling to adequately fund the existing 52 universities.
"When we think about adding 47 more universities, we begin to wonder about the objective. The objective cannot be noble at all. If it is noble, you would see the seriousness in the way the government is handling the existing ones," Akinwole expressed.
He further urged the House of Representatives and the federal government to address the fundamental question: "Why are they establishing 47 new universities when they have not taken care of the ones we have?"
Akinwole dismissed the removal of tertiary institutions from IPPIS (Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System) as mere 'noisemaking,' highlighting that there has been no official communication to the universities on this matter.
"As we speak, no letter has been communicated, either to the bursary or the heads of the institutions. All we have been seeing is so much motion without movement," Akinwole stated.
Additionally, he refuted claims that the government had not paid them four months' salaries, challenging the accuracy of such assertions.
