The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has bestowed scholarships upon two financially challenged undergraduates from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), reaffirming its commitment to supporting education in Nigeria.
During the ASUU-UNN congress in Nsukka on Friday, Sule-kano Abdullahi, a member of the ASUU Board of Trustees and chairman of the National Visitation Panel, presented cheques amounting to N200,000 to the fortunate beneficiaries, Ugwu Maryjane and Ugwu Promise.
Abdullahi, in his address, highlighted that the scholarship initiative, initiated in 2018, aims to assist indigent students across Nigerian universities in pursuing their educational dreams.
He commended the UNN-ASUU branch for diligently screening candidates, leading to the selection of the two scholars for the UNN-ASUU scholarship scheme 2023.
Encouraging the recipients, Abdullahi emphasized the importance of judiciously utilizing the funds for their education. Notably, ASUU’s benevolence didn’t stop there, as consolation prizes of N30,000 each were awarded to the other nine students who applied.
The event also served as a platform for Abdullahi’s panel to address challenges faced by union members at UNN. Oyibo Eze, chairman of UNN-ASUU, expressed gratitude for the visitation team’s involvement in their congress and shed light on the union’s resolutions.
Among these resolutions, the congress reiterated its call to the federal government to release eight months’ worth of withheld salaries for 2022 in the interest of justice.
Eze also revealed concerns about the ongoing review of the fifth edition of the university’s ‘yellow book’—guidelines for promotion. Allegedly containing stringent conditions, this review could pose financial barriers for academic staff promotions, hindering their progress for years.
Eze emphasized the union’s communication with the university management, urging a halt to the review and highlighting the impracticality of certain proposed conditions.
The management’s response, directing the union to engage with the Deans of Faculties, raises concerns about the potential impact on academic staff facing financial constraints.
In a gracious response on behalf of her fellow beneficiaries, Ugwu expressed heartfelt gratitude to the ASUU national body and the UNN branch for providing invaluable assistance in their pursuit of education through the scholarship award.
