Despite being on strike for five months, the governing council of University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) has approved the promotion of 44 academic staff to the rank of professors and associate professors.
The lecturers had joined their counterparts in Nigerian universities to embark on a nationwide strike in February this year.
In the UNIABUJA exercise, 22 staff were promoted to the rank of professors, 20 were promoted to the rank of associate professors.
The council also approved the promotion of two bursary staff to the rank of deputy bursar. Their elevation came at a time when the lecturers have been on strike.
The promotions were considered and approved by Council at its 92nd and 93rd Regular Meetings, which held on Thursday 30th and Friday 31st March 2022, and Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th June 2022, respectively.
Giving a breakdown of the promotion list in a press statement, yesterday, Dr Habib Yakoob, the head, information and university relations said the academic staff were promoted across several disciplines.
“There were seven staff promoted in veterinary medicine; 4, Law; 3, Economics; 3, Biological Sciences; 2, Guidance and Counselling, and 2, Mathematics.
“The disciplines of other promoted staff include theatre arts, medical biochemistry, public administration, medicine, engineering, science and environmental education and geography.”
Congratulating the staff, the vice-chancellor, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, said their promotion was a testimony to their continued dedication, hard work and discipline.
Na’Allah said the university management, with the support and guidance of council, is determined to ensure that every staff gets promotion as and when due.
He said, “I must congratulate all our staff who have been promoted by council at its 92nd and 93rd regular meetings. No doubt, this is a demonstration of hard work, diligence and determination on their part. These are virtues we encourage and promote among our staff at the University of Abuja.
“I urge the staff to continue to work even harder because this rank is not the end of academic prowess. These positions call for more hard work, responsibility and breaking newer grounds. You must show that this is the beginning of greater things to come from you,” Na’Allah said.
