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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised the alarm over what it described as the deteriorating condition of Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, alleging that its academic workforce has dropped by about half amid more than a decade without recruitment.
The union also alleged that casual academic staff engaged by the university are paid N50,000 monthly, warning that the situation, alongside dwindling manpower, poses a serious challenge to the institution.
ASUU, Owerri Zone, in a statement signed by its Zonal Coordinator, Dennis Aribodor, yesterday, appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma, as Visitor to the university, to urgently intervene to “save the soul of the university.”
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The union said IMSU has not conducted a recruitment exercise for academic staff since 2014, while its workforce has declined from more than 1,000 lecturers to about 500 as a result of migration, retirement, and death.
ASUU said the reliance on casual academic staff, who it claimed receive a “paltry N50,000” monthly, had compounded the manpower problem and contributed to what it described as “sharp practices” within the institution.
The union urged Uzodimma to convene a meeting involving the university management, Governing Council, and ASUU to examine the problems confronting the institution and agree on lasting solutions.
It also called for the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and urged the state government to ensure that the university administration and Governing Council take urgent measures to halt what it described as further deterioration of the institution.
