Benue varsity clears promotion backlog, 146 Lecturers get Associate, full Professorship

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

146 Senior Lecturers and Associate Professors have been promoted to the ranks of Associate Professors and full Professors by the Governing Council of the Moses Adasu University, formally Benue State University, Makurdi.

The acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Simon Ubwa, who made this known on Wednesday in Makurdi, explained that the beneficiaries were those whose promotions had been pending since 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Prof. Ubwa wh,o until he took over as acting Vice Chancellor on June 11, 2025, was the Deputy Vice Chancellor, DVC, Academic,  said it was wrong and unacceptable to allow the backlog of promotions pending since 2021.

He said: “When I came, there were 146 Senior Lecturers and Associate Professors who were waiting for their promotions from 2021, 2022 and 202,3, and we desired to clear the backlog of the arrears of promotions.

“It was unacceptable to let it linger because in anything I do, I also imagine that if I were in that person’s shoes. In other places, it could degenerate into a serious crisis. So those promotions were made.

“The first batch was 90, the second batch had 38, and we are going to Council this time, and then we will release, hopefully, the last batch. So the 146 people will get their promotions.”

The acting Vice Chancellor said he had also taken steps to address the water and power situation in the university to ensure that the staff quarters and hostels had a water supply without female students having to trek long distances to get water in the mornings.

He said the power supply challenge at the university, particularly the Library, Faculty of Environmental Sciences Complex and School Clinic, was also addressed in less than one week. “And the nine power generators on campus , which were all bad, we got them fixed and running again.”

Prof. Ubwa who emphasised that he never allowed room for failure in any assignment said “I personal supervise those I give assignments. I supervise the cleaners to ensure that they do their daily work. I go round to ensure that work is done, I do not allow room for failure. That is what being the head entails.”

On the strike embarked upon by non academic staff of the University, the acting Vice Chancellor regretted that they had to resort to the action when all issues at stake had been addressed and waiting for the final nod of the government.

He maintained that the Governor Hyacinth Alia “is well disposed to ensuring the welfare of workers in the state.”

He explained that the Governor had directed the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, and the Head of Service, HoS, to look into the demands of the union “and if acceptable they should present it to him for approval.”

Prof Ubwa said everything was done to ensure that all parties were on the same page and a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the government team, management and the union. And so it was to be implemented.

He said, “The Chairman of Council pleaded that they should be patient and give us up to end of September to sort everything out with government and ensure that they are paid. He held meetings with the union, saying if you are going on strike in September and we are saying please give us till end of September, why not be a little patient if you had waited for this long, can’t your be patient for about three or four weeks?”

The Vice Chancellor, however, assured that efforts by government and management were on to address the issues of the striking workers to ensure that they return to their duty posts.

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