The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has vowed to tackle the abnormalities in the employment of university staff.
National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osadeke, said the union would fight the misnomer in the system, where vice-chancellors shunned due process in the recruitment of staff into the university system.
He spoke yesterday during the Heroes' Day Celebration of the University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State.
Osadeke alleged that traditional rulers, governors and all other politicians in collaboration with vice-chancellors have turned the employment of university staff into constituency projects, pledging that the union would ensure that sanity is restored to the system.
He lamented that no university in the country has advertised for vacancies in the past six to 10 years, yet the staff strength of universities has tripled.
He said vice-chancellors have resorted to employing all manners of people as lecturers.
"Before now, university employment was done through advertisement followed by rigorous interviews but now, how do people get here? It is through temporary appointments. That's the problem that we have today. I do not know of any university for the past six to 10 years that has advertised, but the staff strength has tripled.
"Vice chancellors just sat down somewhere and packed people from traditional rulers, governors, and all other politicians into the Nigerian universities as lecturers and most of them are now scavengers in the system, going after money and all manners of things.
"Unfortunately, university employment has turned into a constituency project and we have to struggle to reverse this misnomer and bring sanity to the system," he stated.
Meanwhile, 15 indigent students of the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, have received a total of N1.7 million for academic excellence.
The students received the award donated by the university's chapter of the ASUU scholarship scheme.
ASUU's acting chairman, Prof. Opeyemi Olajide, said the gesture was to encourage brilliant students and help them finish their course of study in their respective faculties.
One of the beneficiaries of the scholarship, Ekpo Friday, of the Faculty of Education, commended the union for the kind gesture.
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