NIGERIA: Tinubu Moves To Review University Staff Pay, Conditions Of Service

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria 

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced plans by his administration to review the remuneration and conditions of service of university staff nationwide, in a move aimed at improving welfare and strengthening teaching, research and learning in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

The President made this known on Saturday while speaking at the 49th Convocation Ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Represented at the event by the former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Kabir Bala, Tinubu reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to dialogue as a pathway to lasting industrial peace within the university system.

The President said: “Government remains committed to dialogue as the surest path to lasting industrial peace in our tertiary institutions.”

He disclosed that the Federal Government was already intensifying efforts to align university staff salaries and welfare packages with prevailing economic realities.

Tinubu further stated: “The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to review the conditions of service and remuneration of university staff to reflect the realities of the present-day economy.”

According to him, the review process is being undertaken in collaboration with university staff unions and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to develop a sustainable framework that rewards dedication, innovation and productivity, while ensuring fiscal responsibility.

The President urged university staff to embrace dialogue in resolving disputes, stressing that stability in the university system is critical to national development.

“Let us continue to resolve our differences through dialogue and mutual respect so that our universities can remain open, stable, conducive and productive,” he added.

Addressing graduating students, Tinubu described them as the hope of the nation and charged them to become positive change agents wherever they find themselves.

He mentioned: “Your generation represents the hope and promise of a better Nigeria. Our nation looks up to you not just to succeed, but to make a difference.”

Earlier, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who delivered the convocation lecture titled ‘Raising a New Generation of Leaders for the World in Such a Difficult Time Through University Education’, called on Nigerian universities to introduce degree programmes focused on leadership development.

In his address, the Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, Professor Simeon Bamire, disclosed that a total of 6,562 students graduated during the institution’s 49th convocation ceremony.

Providing a breakdown, Bamire said 54 students earned undergraduate diplomas, 5,253 obtained classified degrees, 295 received unclassified degrees, while 959 graduated from postgraduate programmes.