Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti has vowed 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.

Governor Otti spoke on Tuesday when he met with the executives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ABSU Chapter, led by the Zonal Coordinator (ASUU National), Calabar Zone, Dr. Happiness Uduak.

The union executives according to a statement made available to ABN TV by the chief press secretary to the Governor, Kazie Uko said they had come to thank the Governor for taking interest in their welfare by paying their salaries and other benefits, promptly, since he assumed office on May 29, 2023, but like Oliver Twist, ask for more.

Consequently, they seized the opportunity to enumerate several other challenges confronting the University and members of the academic staff, which, though they acknowledged preceded the present administration, appealed to the Governor to use his good office and intervene.

According to the statement, the Governor while noting that a lot needed to be done to fix the institution, said the demands of the Union were not unreasonable and added that government would do everything within its capacity to assist the University.

He expressed surprise over "18-months salary differential" the union said its members in Abia were being owed, between 2009-2010, as well as 11 months salary arrears, owed the lecturers by the previous administration.

Governor Otti was of the view that Universities, especially when they are not new, should be run independently 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".

Source: https://abntv.com.ng/news/ill-make-absu-the-envy-of-other-nigerian-tertiary-institutions-gov-otti-vows/

Cc; lalasticlala, Mynd44, Seun, OAM4J

The worst and the most dubious governor in Nigeria has spoken

yarimo:
The worst and the most dubious governor in Nigeria has spoken

must you quote nonsense.....if you don't have anything to say keep quiet... piss off