The Pro-Chancellor, Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN, has asked the Nigerian government to review the salaries of lecturers across the country to meet the realities of rising inflation.
Ali, while speaking at the 11th convocation ceremony of UNIOSUN at Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium, admonished traditional rulers, as the father of the nation, to beg the Nigerian government to increase the remuneration of lecturers in the country.
According to him, it has been about 15 years since the government made increments to lecturers’ salaries while the country is facing rising market inflation.
His words; “Lecturers are buying from the same market as any other person’s shop. Meanwhile, the last time their salaries were increased was about 15 years ago. It is obvious that our educational system is undergoing Tsunami like changes but unfortunately negatively.
“In order to address the problem of incessant strikes by various unions in the universities, it is high time the salaries of workers in the universities be reviewed upward, to meet the realities of inflation. Going forward, we should put in place a system of automatic adjustment of salaries, within an agreed time frame, say between 2 to 3 years to address inflationary trends in the economy, as it happens in other places.”
Earlier, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Odunayo Adebooye, while delivering his speech, noted that the institution, in its 16th year of existence, has continued to soar in academic standing, and attract international collaborations and partnerships.
According to him, “In our sixteen years of existence, we have continued to soar in academic standing, attract international collaborations and partnerships, and carry on in our quest to build a truly world-class University, just like our founding fathers had dreamt.
“I must acknowledge all former Vice-Chancellors of this University, whose legacies of impactful leadership will forever remain indelible. In the last five years, Osun State university witnessed tremendous leap in its academic, personnel and infrastructural development. That was the period that defined UNIOSUN as a University with a culture of fiscal transparency, financial integrity, academic quality and global relevance,” he said.