ASUU blames govt for Kebbi varsity’s woes

The Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology, has said that poor funding could lead to the collapse of the university.

The Chairman of the union, Dr Abubakar Umar, in a press conference in Birnin Kebbi on Friday said the university is facing a myriad of problems from infrastructure decay which include poor accommodation for lecturers and inadequate student hostels and none payments of earned academic allowances for 11 years.

He said “For over six years, lecturers of the university have not gotten promotion implementations not to talk of arrears and even when they get the promotion.

“Sometimes, it takes almost a year before the implementation which was responsible for the mass exit of over 20 vibrant and intelligent academic staff.

“Poor electricity in the university is hindering research works in the laboratory, hence the technical lab lays waste due to poor power supply which also affects the machines that are supposed to be operated almost daily to enhance productivity and increase academic research,” Umar said.

He further explained, “The size of the university workforce has increased but the structures are not only bad but insufficient to accommodate them.

“The same thing is happening to students who had to stay off-campus in Jega or Birnin Kebbi the state capital daily to attend lectures, I am afraid if the university remains underfunded with decaying infrastructure it will collapse,” he warned.

On healthcare, he said the university clinic has had no doctor since it was established and they have written over the issue nothing has been done.

He also said the security of the university is another source of worry as a lecturer was once kidnapped, while another was marked for killing but escaped by the whiskers, “therefore the university needs security to operate without any fear of attack by gunmen.

“I appealed to the Kebbi State government to meet our demands to avert the collapse of the university.

“We believe our comrade governor would address the issues raised to save the only state-owned university where children of the poor study,” the Chairman of the Union averred.

When contacted, the state Commissioner for High Education, Abubakar Tunga, denied the allegations through text message.

He however directs journalists to visit the university, while declining to comment on unpaid academic earned allowances and promotions implementations.