Benue Varsity Promotes 146 Lecturers To Professor Rank

Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (formerly Benue State University, Makurdi), has promoted 146 senior cadre lecturers and associate professors to the professor cadre, effective after a four-year wait since 2021.

This is even as the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Terver Ubwa, appealed to the university’s Non-Academic Staff who are on strike to call off the strike.

Prof. Ubwa, who disclosed this during an interface with members of the correspondent chapel in Benue State in his office, explained that the promotions were affected shortly after he took over leadership on June 1, 2025.

He described the promotions as a critical step in restoring dignity and motivation among academic staff. “When I took over, 146 lecturers had been waiting for promotion for four years. Some had lost hope. I made it a priority to ensure their elevation, and some even received double promotions,” he said.

He said, “During my few months as Acting Vice Chancellor, I have tackled several challenges, including water shortages affecting both staff and students, which have now been resolved.”

He noted, “Nine generators across the campus were fixed to ensure uninterrupted power supply and a notable improvement was made at the university clinic, where a generator was installed to address the issue of inadequate lighting, which previously forced medical staff to use phone lights to attend to patients”

The VC noted that despite these achievements, the university faces an ongoing strike by non-academic staff over the non-implementation of the minimum wage and other pending demands.

“Their demands are long, and while some have been addressed, others are still pending. The government pleaded for more time, but the union went ahead with the strike,  urging staff to reconsider their decision, emphasising the government’s commitment to workers’ welfare.

He said the university has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a private developer to build a hostel with a capacity of 1600 to address the students’ accommodation problem. He added that the university will also use Tetfund to construct some hostels, which will help ease  the accommodation problem.

Prof. Ubwa emphasised the importance of integrity within the university community, warning students that those who graduate from the University and make false accusations against peers or lecturers could face certificate withdrawal. He assured that the university is committed to ensuring the right thing is done and would personally oversee the admission process to prevent irregularities.

Our correspondent reports that the university, known as Benue State University, was renamed Reverend Father Moses Orshio Adasu University in December 2024, to honour the late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu, a former governor and founder of the institution.