Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
His Royal Majesty Orcivirigh, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse Tor Tiv, Chancellor, University of Benin, urged the federal government to lift the current embargo on employment in the federal tertiary institutions in order to drive new ideas into the system.
He gave the task while speaking at the 49th and 50th Convocation of the University in Benin City.
Prof. Ayatse said the employment of fresh blood into the university system will not only ventilate the system but will also inject new thinking and more innovative ideas into the university, adding that the way things have been in the last couple of years are inimical to the growth and the progress in the tertiary institutions across the country.
The Vice Chancellor Ayatse, while calling for the lifting of embargo on employment in the tertiary institutions, said government as a matter of urgency should reverse the current state of unemployment and consider seriously the meaningful engagement of the youths who are the bedrock of development of any nation.
Ayatse said also that federal government should look seriously into the economic challenges currently plaguing the country as the astronomical and fluctuating prices of petroleum products and the exchange rates have caused snowballing effects on the prices of goods and services.
He said these have had debilitating consequences on the lives of the people, especially families adding that government needs to urgently return to the drawing board to find lasting solutions to food insecurity and associated hardships.
The VC, further said there have been feelers that the federal government has directed the removal of federal tertiary institutions from the payment platform of Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), stressing that this is a welcome development and indeed a positive response to his appeal during last year’s convocation.
He said he hoped that due diligence will be observed in implementing the payment of federal universities’ staff salaries under the alternative Government Integrated Financial Management Information System to avert the alleged irregularities that were pointed out in the rejected system.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Benin, Prof. Shuaibu Umaru, said that though they are not unmindful of the enormous results achieved by government through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), said they are grateful to the president, Bola Tinubu for the various steps taken through the agency to improve infrastructure development in the university of Benin and for the actions to ensure that the demands of staff receives attention even when they are not resolved a hundred percent.
While stating that funding is one of the challenges facing universities in the country, he said the situation has been worsened by the introduction of high and unrealistic electricity tariff to be borne by tertiary institutions which can be barely survive.
On the part of the outgoing Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Lilian Salami, she commended president Bola Tinubu and the Hon. Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa for standing by the institution to succeed.
She also lauded the immediate past governor of Edo state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki for rehabilitating some of the roads within the campus.