Reduced allocation affecting UniAbuja staff salaries — VC

The Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Michael Adikwu, says the reduction in the institution’s annual allocation from the federal government has resulted in a shortfall in staff salaries.

Briefing newsmen yesterday in Abuja as part of activities to mark his two years in office as vice chancellor of the university, Adikwu said the institution last received N366m and in 2016 received N308m, adding that the difference was causing the shortfalls.

He debunked allegations that the university was owing staff salaries, saying: “The Federal Government is now giving us less money than we were given, what they gave to us is what we used to pay and it is not that we pay installmentally, it was only one month that we paid a fraction, we were able to pay 86 per cent.”

He described the problem as a national issue and not peculiar to the University of Abuja, which remained consistent in paying salaries.

Adikwu said the federal government had assured that the shortfall would be calculated and paid to the universities.

Speaking on his feat in the last two years, he noted that aside the progress in physical structures that have aided in the accreditation of some of the courses in the institution, it has also enjoyed a stable academic calendar since he came to office.

Staff promotion according to him has improved compared to what it used to be.

He also noted that in dealing with the financial challenges, the university was working in line with the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme to generate money outside government allocations.