IN THE WAKE of intense tension at the Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), following threats of strike by university-based unions over alleged non-implementation of the new minimum wage and other demands, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Simon Terver Ubwa, opened up on the state of affairs in the institution.
In this interview with select Makurdi-based journalists, including NATIONAL RECORD’s AMOS AAR, Prof. Ubwa addresses a mix of complex issues surrounding staff welfare, promotions, and allowances. He also responds to allegations bothering on high-handedness and sadism raised against an associate professor of Law from the institution, Dr Timothy Yangien Ornguga, in the wake of his nomination by Governor Alia as commissioner (he is now the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order in Benue State), amongst other issues.
The conversation provides rare insights into the university administration’s efforts, the constraints faced in navigating government processes, and the measures to sustain academic stability and protect the university’s reputation. Excerpts:
Question: Reports on threats of strike action by the university’s workers over alleged failure on the part of your management of MOAUM to implement the approved minimum wages look worrisome. Why hasn’t the institution implemented the new wage?
Prof Ubwa: I want to let us know that the issues that made staff to go on strike did not start in September. There were a series of communications starting from last year. The issues that staff were complaining about were more than implementation of minimum wage. The issues cut across all university-based unions in the university. JAC (Joint Action Committee), an umbrella body of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Allied Institutions (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologies (NAAC), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and also College of Health Sciences-based unions. I think there are three unions there. The issues included non-payment of sundry allowances, such as PG, teaching, sandwich, SIWES, and many other allowances that are paid from revenue generation programs.
They also talked about arrears of staff promotion from 2021 to 2024. For non-teaching staff, they were not promoted for a very long time; that’s another thing they have been complaining about and for issues bordering on promotion among national health insurance and pensions.
But again, we are all in the state and we know the situation around government. I want to tell you that as small as the office of the Vice Chancellor is, compared to the office of the Governor, if I am away for two days, when I come back, it takes me not less than four days to be able to go through my mails to update my reports. And that is a small office compared to the entire state, where you have many security challenges, challenges that involve life, sometimes may take more than one month to resolve. So, we got this letter, threatening strike action by the unions. ASUU also gave us and the non-teaching staff also gave us the strike notices and escalated it to the SSG and Chairman of Council.
Now, the council directed that management should ensure that issues based on payment of sundry allowances and others; funds from internally generated revenue should be used to pay them. We ensured that all that has been complied with; we have paid all that, and as we are talking now, we don’t have any complaints on payment of sundry allowances.
Issues of promotions have also been put to rest because all those who are due for promotion have got their promotions – for non-teaching staff, all of them got their promotions.
For academic staff, of course, with professorial promotions, that is from associate professor to professor, a report of external assessors has to be received. I want to tell you that in the last two months, we have published 126 promotions that were approved by council. Only 20 are still outstanding because we have not got external report for them. Of course, I’ve also called on the external assessors to turn in their reports, to return the documents that were given to them, that we are no longer interested in them to assess because the time given to them has elapsed. So, in the next one or two weeks, the other 20 should be ready. And again, we have studied the process of assessing staff for promotion. That has been done at the lower levels, and citing committee will seek for promotions of 2025-2026.
Now, most of the issues unions in the university have been addressed, leaving this issue of 25-35 wage awards and implementation of minimum wage. So, basically, these are the issues that are hanging, which we have been trying to dialogue with the unions to resolve.
Why has this matter dragged on for a long time? One, when a committee was formed by the state government to look at the minimum wage in the state, tertiary institutions were not included. After that committee worked, they were given 10% as increase in the salary grants, but 10% fell short of what was expected.
The university calculated what was the balance and sent to government, but after a few months, it was discovered that some staff who were promoted from the non-teaching staff cadre were not correctly reflected. So, a new calculation was to be done and sent. Government took that and started working on it.
Again, when we released these massive promotions, they had to do another calculation because they were not effectively captured in the figures that forwarded to government. It was done and the governor sent a high-powered committee to interface with the university management and the university-based unions to see how that could be resolved. We took our figures to the SSG [Secretary to the State Government]. That committee was made up of SSG, Head of Service and Accountant General
We took our figures to them and they requested the office of Accountant General to verify the figures with the Acting Bursar of the university and the Finance Controller of the college to ensure that what we presented was accurate. That was done. Then, a report was presented to the university management and the unions. We all agreed that what the Bursar and the Finance Controller of the college presented was correct as verified by the office of Accountant General, and then, we signed a Memorandum of Agreement – the government team signing on behalf of government and the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar signing on behalf of management, and then the union leaders signing on behalf of the unions. Of course, we know that if the Governor forms a committee, the report of the committee has to be taken to him, the report was taken.
As we are talking, the staff in the university get their salaries before federal universities up to date. I am not sure how many federal universities have paid August salary; we delayed a bit because we are trying to see how these matters could be resolved without staff going on strike.
But again, we are all in the state and we know the situation around government. I want to tell you that as small as the office of the Vice Chancellor is, compared to the office of the Governor, if I am away for two days, when I come back, it takes me not less than four days to be able to go through my mails to update my reports. And that is a small office compared to the entire state, where you have many security challenges, challenges that involve life, sometimes may take more than one month to resolve. So, we got this letter, threatening strike action by the unions. ASUU also gave us and the non-teaching staff also gave us the strike notices and escalated it to the SSG and Chairman of Council.
The Chairman of Council was not too happy because a lot has been done. As you are also aware, the staff couldn’t mention the issue of EAA [Earned Academic Allowance] that has been hanging for so many years; certainly, over six years. It was resolved. The Governor directed Council that it must ensure that everything was done to pay staff the outstanding EAA in bulk, not fractional payments, and that was done. It got to a point that the council had to source a loan from the bank so that they would pay this EAA. This underscores the importance the Council and Government placed on staff welfare. The money was paid in bulk, and that was December last year and January this year, the whole money was paid.
Now, because all of us know that loans that are got from bank, you pay through the nose. Already the challenge was much, and the Council decided that we should ensure that whatever is available to us, we must pay back that money. Close to 1.5 billion, and then we paid the money completely.
I want to say that the university is no longer owing EAA to staff, and not owing any bank. This is how far we’ve gone.
When the issue of strike came, the Chairman of Council did not rest. He felt that there was need to maintain a regular academic calendar. So, we started interfacing with the unions and pleading that they should not go on strike; that they should give Council and Government a maximum of three to four weeks – that is end of September – that he hopes that this matter will be resolved.
You see, normally, Council would direct management to communicate with unions. But council wrote a letter, signed by the Registrar, to show unions the seriousness the Council places on this matter. It was duly communicated. When they could not dodge, the Chairman of the Council still called the leaders, and talked with them and also directed that the management should ensure that it interface with unions and convinced them not to go on strike when they have not exhausted negotiations; they appealed to them to give just three weeks – yes, deadlines have been extended – but anytime they are extended, Council takes time to invite unions, even in Council meetings, not just direct management to interface, but invite unions to tell them this is what is happening.
I have served on a committee that investigated staff and we meted out appropriate punishments. If a student had an issue, he would have reported to the Head of Department. If the Head of Department didn’t do anything, you will go to your Dean. It’s not even restrictive. A student can write to the Vice Chancellor. When they wrote to the Vice Chancellor when I was not acting, he would forward the complainant to me. Then, I would write to the Dean to comment. Then, from there, we would forward the case to the Disciplinary Committee. If the staff could not defend the matter well, it will go for disciplinary action.
To our greatest disappointment, all the appeals fell on deaf ears because I want to tell you that I went to the unions myself, and I told them; please, three weeks from the time you want to go on strike, just imagine, what are you going to achieve? Please give us these three weeks; I am appealing to you. If these three weeks fail, would I come back and appeal to you? No, I will not be in a position to come and appeal to you. And I believe that this will not fail because the Chairman of Council has given you his words; he is representing the Governor in the university, and all of us, including you, journalists, know that the Governor does not joke with the welfare of staff.
As we are talking, the staff in the university get their salaries before federal universities up to date. I am not sure how many federal universities have paid August salary; we delayed a bit because we are trying to see how these matters could be resolved without staff going on strike.
So, that is the position. We tried and You can see we had a long list of demands when the issues at stake started, and that has been reduced drastically to one or two issues. And we feel that it would be nice, if the union listened, and gave us these three, four weeks that we demanded.
Question: The recent screening of nominees by the Benue State House of Assembly for the appointment of Commissioners generated controversy. The nominee from MOAUM was hit particularly by current and former students on the basis of some alleged misdemeanors believed to be widespread on the campus. How concerned is the management about these allegations that are likely to tarnish the good name and value system of your institution? Why has the trend persisted if the allegations are true? What measures should the public expect from you to curtail the menace?
Prof Ubwa: Thank you for asking that question. There is no menace here! I must say that, first, what worries me is that I don’t know whether people are paid to write damaging things against our university.
Now, the issue that came up in the screening or pre-screening exercise of Prof. Ornguga are issues that worry me, in the sense that our people take pleasure in pulling others down. It is something that you can understand from the explanations that I am giving.
In the Faculty of Law, a lecturer’s appointment was terminated not long ago on matters that are not as serious as what they were alleging against Prof. Ornguga. We have a Senate Committee on ethics in this university, and the terms of reference border on some of the things these people were alleging.
Now, you have a department that supervises activities of students and staff, heads of department. If you come to my office, you will see students or candidates who are seeking admission who are less than 18 years. Some of them hang outside and be waiting. When I come out, they will say they are here for admission. And then, other students, if I open my phone, you will see that they are sending messages. Once I get a message that is bordering on what I feel could have been done better, I call the Head of Department or the Dean or the lecturer for a chat. I was not acting as Vice Chancellor; a student was to write a test. He told me that the lecturer said they must buy a book. And then he gave pages and certain things that if you don’t buy that book, you would not be able to pass. I called the lecturer. I said professor, I am hearing that something like this is happening, but I know he is a man of honour. So, I wanted to find out. He said no, no, no, he can’t do such a thing. And of course, the guy didn’t report to me that he compelled them to buy.
Up till today, we have not received any complaints from students about Ornguga. Then, why would you wait for such a long time or till somebody is pencilled for an appointment before you start bringing it? Is that fair?
I have served on a committee that investigated staff and we meted out appropriate punishments. If a student had an issue, he would have reported to the Head of Department. If the Head of Department didn’t do anything, you will go to your Dean. It’s not even restrictive. A student can write to the Vice Chancellor. When they wrote to the Vice Chancellor when I was not acting, he would forward the complainant to me. Then, I would write to the Dean to comment. Then, from there, we would forward the case to the Disciplinary Committee. If the staff could not defend the matter well, it will go for disciplinary action.
Let me tell you, some of the things the guys were suggesting are alien to the Nigerian university system. If I mark a student and I fail that student, and the student feel strongly that another person should look at it, if the student writes to the department, the department will write to the Vice Chancellor. Then the vice chancellor will forward it to the Registrar. They will bring the script and the marking scheme. Then, nobody in that department will know where they are sending the paper from for remarking. Even the person marking will not know that he’s marking from this person. You just look at the marking scheme and mark. If the student passes, the student will be given the appropriate grade, but if he fails, then, the person has failed. No such thing was done in these cases.
Up till today, we have not received any complaints from students about Ornguga. Then, why would you wait for such a long time or till somebody is pencilled for an appointment before you start bringing it? Is that fair?
Look at me, if I’m supposed to have a 2.1. and then by somebody’s making, I got 2.2; will I be happy? These people are not saying this is the letter we wrote but nothing happened. we approached the management and the Vice Chancellor but nothing happened. So, for me, I look at that as a usual way of trying to bring somebody down because the university has its regulations to deal with such matters and no university can condone such acts if they are proven to be true.
Question: There are reports also that students of the College of Health Sciences in the university face hostel accommodation problems while some have been chased out recently. Any measure to mitigate the challenges?
Prof Ubwa: Well, again, this are the issues that worry me. College of Health Sciences is a college of the university. It’s not an autonomous college; it’s part of the university. And as far as I’m concerned, except if a student breaks the rules that he or she can no longer be permitted in the hostels.
For the college, because of certain actions, students were required to sign undertaking, believing that, if they go against what they have themselves signed to keep, they will be deboarded. So, except if that happens, I’m not aware that students were chased out of hostel.
People have called me for issues of certificate, issues of transcript, and I tell them that the moment I have that information, I take it as my responsibility to ensure that that thing is done. For somebody who says he graduated since 2018 and he doesn’t have certificate, let that person show you evidence that he has made efforts to get his certificate and the university authorities are adamant. Registrar, are you aware of it?
Accommodation is a general problem in the university. The presidential needs assessment is coming to address that to a large extent. More hostels will be built for clinical students, for nursing students and pharmacy students. So, we believe that with that intervention, things will get better. But apart from the College of Health Sciences, the other part of the university, the other part of the university too, we don’t have enough accommodation for students. All over the country, there is no university that has enough accommodation for students. So, ours is not a peculiar situation.
Question: In fact, let me clarify a little bit on that. The former School of Nursing is where students were not allowed to write exams.
Prof Ubwa: No, no, no, no, I’m not aware of that. Deputy Provost, are you aware of that; where students were chased away not to write exams? Chased away by who?
Question: By the authorities of that place and that appeared to be a clash of interest.
Prof Obwa: No, I’m not aware of that. But the place has been demarcated. There is a section for the department of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences, Rev. Fr Moses Orshio Adasu University, and there is a section for the College of Nursing Sciences. So, we cannot clash. The facilities are demarcated. If there is any problem, I would have known, I’m not aware of it. Deputy Provost, can you elaborate more?
Deputy Provost (intervenes): Recently, there were some minor clashes; misunderstanding between students of university and students of the college and staff of the university and staff of the college. You know, this attitude of ownership. They feel that all premises belong to them and the university is just an intruder. So, the attitude of refusing to share amenities resulted to some minor misunderstanding.
So, the Governor called the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, the Provost, College of Health Sciences and the Provost, College of Nursing to Government House and after discussions, it was resolved that a meeting with staff or the two colleges be held and it was held, and it was resolved that there should be no more factions. In fact, his Excellency decided that he was going to build another college. I think most likely, it is going to be in the university here or somewhere else. But those sites have already been inspected So, the issue has been resolved.
Prof Ubwa: Thank you very much for that clarification.
Question: There are reports equally of delays in the release of original certificates for students who graduated years ago! An example is the report that a former student, Smith Akoko, who graduated in 2018 is on the verge of losing his job on the basis of his alleged failure to get his original certificate. Why does it take such a long time for issuance of certificates?
Prof. Ubwa: Maybe we will verify one case and then you can report. Let this Smith Akoko give you evidence that his certificate from 2018 has not been given to him, and that he applied for it but he was not attended to, then, I will be happy.
Let me tell you that I am one person who believes that if we are not doing our own part, and the students, or anybody who believes in the business, we use the complaints, we should not make any trouble with the person. People have called me for issues of certificate, issues of transcript, and I tell them that the moment I have that information, I take it as my responsibility to ensure that that thing is done. For somebody who says he graduated since 2018 and he doesn’t have certificate, let that person show you evidence that he has made efforts to get his certificate and the university authorities are adamant. Registrar, are you aware of it?
Let me tell you: Ladoke Akintola university withdrew the certificate of somebody who worked to the level of Director. What did he do? He alleged that while in school, his Biology teacher failed him. So, when the university read that, they called him and set an investigation panel but the guy refused to appear because what he said was not true and they withdrew his certificate.
Registrar: Yes sir. I’m aware. When I came into office not long ago, this issue went to the State House of Assembly and the House Committee went into investigation and discovered that the certificate was omitted. That certificate has been written and presented to him and that case has been resolved.
I also want to reiterate that certificate, as it were, we don’t have any issues. There were backlogs but we have cleared them and you will notice that there are no complaints again concerning certificates. We are really up to date.
Prof Ubwa: Well, I’m not aware of that. But the background I have is that any student who has issue in the university and that gets across to me, I have taken it upon myself even as a DVC [Deputy Vice Chancellor] Academic to pursue it.
There was a student who came here last week. She was coming for the third time for her statement of result. There was a mistake. The department didn’t submit a clean copy of the result. When I was called that they can’t prepare the statement of result because the department had not submitted, I directed that look, they must take the copy which the Senate Business Committee worked on and on the basis of the copy issue the statement of result because it was approved by the Senate. It was done. So, like this one, you know, it’s strange to me that something would be dragged to the House of Assembly before it was resolved. I didn’t know about it.
But again, I’m telling us that the best approach is that if people have issues with the university, they should not just externalise it. Come to management, write, so that you will be showing evidence that I wrote, but they refused to act on it. And I’m not sure we’ll see that refuse to act. No, I’m not sure about that.
Question: The university has placed advertisement to engage a substantive Vice Chancellor. Should we expect you to be one of the applicants?
Prof Ubwa: Thank you for that question. For some of us, I think position is for service. And I also believe that it’s God that gives opportunities.
The criteria for selecting the Vice Chancellor has been spelt out. As a professor in the university, if God permits me, it is entirely a different thing. But I look up to God. So, I don’t take decisions on my own, because if God gives you opportunity, He will also give you an enablement to perform. But Satan also has his kingdom. If you seek, he will give you, but you will fail and you will be humiliated.
So, I wait on God. If I meet the criteria, and there is no encumbrance, around me, I will put up. But if there is encumbrance. I won’t get up. I’ll be a happy person.
In 1992, when I had my male child, I gave him a name – “God has given me all” (Aondonambee). That was in 1992; and we are in 2025 now. So, whatever God does to me now, He is saying, my son, I’m just adding. So, for me, as a person, whatever God has for me, I feel, He has given me all.
Question: In the course of your explanation, I heard you say that the lecturers did not exhaust all the avenues before embarking on strike. So, is that to say that the strike is illegal? Then, secondly, the issue of Ornguga, you expressed serious worry that these went viral without first coming to the notice of the university. I expect that the university too will have some measures to forestall such from reoccurring. Is there something that you can do as an institution to prevent such actions?
Prof Ubwa: Let me start from the first. Unions may have their technical way of giving ultimatum and following procedures to embark on strike. You may follow the technical line and you may feel that you have satisfied the technicalities of going on strike. But that doesn’t mean that you have exhausted the avenues for negotiation. The list you have, your demands, are so many. Assuming that in December or November, you went on strike and then in December, we paid EAA and many other things, would you have not come back? Would you have not suspended the strike? You would because when you have your demands, let’s say you have 10 demands and somebody is able to satisfy the 10 demands, wouldn’t you call off the strike? You will suspend the strike.
So, as your demands are being met, you also see that something is happening and so you will also adjust. The notice you gave the other time before it was suspended or you decided not go on strike, you will activate it and go on strike. That is why I said that they should have given us three to four weeks. These are standards; they should have waited.
Then, with respect to Ornguga, except, we initiate the process of withdrawing our certificates from people who make such allegations. We may just decide to fight.
Let me tell you: Ladoke Akintola university withdrew the certificate of somebody who worked to the level of Director. What did he do? He alleged that while in school, his Biology teacher failed him. So, when the university read that, they called him and set an investigation panel but the guy refused to appear because what he said was not true and they withdrew his certificate.
There is Ethics Committee, there is Examination and Irregularities Committee, there are many committees available for students to explore. You didn’t explore them while in school and then, when you graduated, you waited for five to ten years. And then, when somebody is appointed for position, you wrote petition. Haba!
