ASUU UNIUYO Gifts N1.7m to 15 Indigent Students, Honor Past Leaders

Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Uyo Branch (ASUU-UUB) has released the sum of 1.7 million naira to 15 brilliant but indigent students of the institution who excelled in their academic pursuits, to complete their tertiary education.

The Union has also honoured all past leaders of the branch With Heroes awards during the Heroes’ Day Celebration at UNIUYO main campus in Uyo, for leading the union firmly through turbulent periods in the history of the branch. Heroes awarded include : Professor Desmond Wilson, Professor Edet Peter Akpan, Professor Joe Ushie, Professor Aniesua Essiet, Professor Ashong Ashong, and Dr. Etop Ndiyo.

See Also: Nigeria First Lady Awards N4m Scholarships to Rescued FUDMA Students

The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osadeke while speaking commended the awardees for their steadfastness to the union despite the difficulties they faced.Osadeke however urged past and present leaders of the union to rise against the alleged injustice by vice chancellors who have turned staff employment into their ‘constituency projects’ by employing all manners of people without due process.

The ASUU president noted that the illegal process has turned out to battle the University standard because most of the people employed have no business with the academic world.

In his words “I must heartily congratulate all the heroes honoured today for the sacrifices they made to the point of termination of appointments, seizure of salaries, demotion among other travails for speaking truth to powers for the benefit of others.

“Before now, University employment was done through advertisement followed by rigorous interviews before being given the job but now, how do people get here? It is through temporary appointments.

Related: Gov. Uzodimma Daughter Awards Scholarships to 15 Law School Students

“That’s the problem that we have today. I do not know of any University for the past six to ten years that has advertised, but the staff strength has tripled. Vice-Chancellors just sat down somewhere and packed people from Traditional Rulers, Governors, and all other politicians into the Nigerian Universities and most of them are now scavengers in the system going after money and all manners of things.

“Unfortunately, University employment has turned into a constituency project and we have to struggle to reverse this misnomer and bring sanity to the system,” he added.

Professor Desmond Wilson, a retired Professor of Ethnocommunicology in a keynote address, noted that the struggles of the Union have been made difficult by fifth columnists and other agents employed by the government to cause confusion.

Wilson stressed that heroism was not a blank check to misbehavior, he also urged all members of the union to be selfless, committed and trusted for the betterment of all and the redemption of Nigerian Universities from its quagmires.

Recommended: Woman Graduate With PhD Degree While Raising 5 Children

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Nyaudoh Ndaeyo, who was represented by Prof Ben Etuk, commended ASUU for it selfless service to humanity. He noted that the role played by the union has contributed immensely to the better welfare among the University staff.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries of the ASUU-UUB scholarship award, Mr. Ekpo Friday of the Faculty of Education commended the union for the idea of bringing succor to the indigent students of the institution. He noted that the gesture was a morale booster to concentrate on their studies and finish their University Education with good grades.