By Brave Dickson
A lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Steve Wordu has asked the newly sworn-in Minister for Education, Prof., Tahir Mamman to reform the University sector by paying lecturers their eight months’ salary.
The varsity lecturer also advocated for proper oversight of the universities, adding that a lot of financial recklessness is ongoing in universities.
He said, “Let me first congratulate the new minister. But before we talk about reforms, let us talk about remedying existing situations. One of the existing situations, the new minister should solve is the fact that lecturers have not been paid for over eight months.
“No lecturer goes on strike. There is nothing like a strike because lecturers are always busy studying, researching, and writing. So, for us, there is nothing like a strike because the regulatory body is actually not serious in terms of monitoring and evaluation.
“Universities and their managements are behaving anyhow. They are financially reckless. Let there be a proper audit of universities.
“The period of the so-called strike during former president Buhari’s tenure that led to the owing of lecturers’ salaries for eight months, we worked and we should be paid.
“There should also be a proper audit of universities because there is so much financial laxity in the university system.”