The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Prof. Abayomi Fasina, has called on the government to consider increasing the salaries of academics in the country, News About Nigeria reports.
According to Prof. Fasina, a professor should not earn less than N1 million per month.
Speaking at Oye Ekiti on Sunday during the reception of a commendation award from the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Council, the FUOYE VC also commended the Federal Government’s decision to exempt public universities from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
According to him, universities would have more autonomy and be able to manage their businesses more successfully if they were taken out of IPPIS.
“The advantage is that we are now independent to decide on the proper management of the system. We can always also take from our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to supplement what we are given by the government,” he said.
Explaining the benefits of autonomy, particularly in salary matters, he said; “Another advantage is that we want the government to increase our salary and with this development, we can subsidise such increment with our IGR. We are currently poorly paid as lecturers in Nigerian universities. For example, a professor should not earn less than a million naira.”
Prof. Fasina claims that institutions may now manage recruitment and other affairs independently after leaving IPPIS, which cuts down on red tape and promotes more effective administration.
Citing instances of bureaucratic delays and delayed salaries under IPPIS, he praised the exception as a positive move towards the transformation of the university system.
“By the singular act of exiting universities from IPPIS, President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated his genuine intention and commitment to turning around the fortunes of the education sector. The exemption would birth a new university system,” he said.
