The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State branch has called on the state governor Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, and other stakeholders in the state to save the institution from collapsing.

The union said the university was suffering from under-funding and needed the state government to, as a matter of urgency, come to its rescue, to save it from collapse.

The Chairman of the union, Dr. Simon Ehiabhi, at a briefing on Sunday said there was a need for urgent financial intervention and increased funding for the proper running of the school by the state government.

According to him, the monthly subvention to the university in the 2015/2016 academic session was N212.5m, but the fund had been reduced to N148m by the state government since 2017.

He said, “The union, therefore, finds it difficult to understand the rationale behind the reduction of the budgetary allocation to a growing university like AAUA by the state government.

“The drop in the monthly subvention and budgetary allocation to the university is negatively affecting the capacity of the university to discharge its responsibilities, including prompt payment of salaries, and release of union and cooperative deductions.

“It is, therefore, disheartening to note that because of the drastic drop in subvention, which amounts to under-funding, the university is owing ASUU-AAUA over N12m as members check-off dues, while the Academic Staff Cooperative Multipurpose Society is being owed over N100m, which are deductions from academic staff salaries.”

Ehiabhi, who noted that the members of staff of the institution were not pleased with the development, urged the government to bail the varsity out of its present financial predicament.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.