John Adams, Minna
Niger State owned Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, said it has promoted 104 academic staff out of which 37 were elevated to the rank of professors in the last three years.
The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mohammed Nasir Maiturari, said this at the weekend, during the second combined convocation of 6,348 granduates of the institution at Lapai.
Maiturari said: “Promotions at IBBUL are up to date with no backlog. Over the last three years, the council has approved the promotion of 104 academic staff, comprising 37 professors, senior lecturers and lecturer cadres. For the non-teaching staff, 558 staff comprising 197 senior and 361 junior staff were also promoted during the same period.”
The vice chancellor pointed out that regular promotion of staff is essential for the institution to attract and retain high quality staff in the face of increasing competitive university landscape.
He said over 161 staff have also benefited from the TETFUND grants for Academic Staff Training and Development (ASTD) adding that “92 academic staff were trained for PhD, while 69 other staff went for Masters Degree training in the country and overseas.
While appealing to the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the students loan and scholarship bill aimed at increasing access into higher education by students without financial hindrances, Professor Maiturare said that over 200 students were currently benefiting from the sponsorship and support of the university to complete their studies.
He however lamented the acute shortage of accommodation for both staff and students of the university, explaining that less than 20% of students were not accommodated due to lack of adequate hostels while only 40 blocks of houses were available for over 1000 staff.
In a remark, the Governor of Niger state and visitor to the university, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, said his administration was going to establish special fund for state tertiary institutions.
He said that functional education remained the main factor for a positive change in the development of the country, adding that it was time to stop paying lip service to the sustenance of the sector.
According to him, “we must move away from lip service and wishful thinking. We should take practical steps to reposition the education sector in the country and not necessarily developing too many conflicting and confusing national education policies”.