The Vice Chancellor of Plateau State University, Bokkos, Prof Bernard Matur, has appealed to the academic staff of the institution, who are members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to end their ongoing strike.
The ASUU chapter of the university commenced an indefinite strike last Thursday, citing the alleged failure of the government to fulfill an agreement reached in 2022.
Prof Matur, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Jos, the state capital, urged the academic staff to consider the modalities put in place by the government to create a conducive working environment.
He promised to sustain the ongoing negotiations with the union, adding that all concerns of the lecturers would be amicably resolved “very soon”.
Matur highlighted some of the achievements in his first five months to include the expansion of faculties from four to 10, and payment of eight months salary arrears owed workers.
‘’We have also cleared a backlog of eleven years of academic allowances, paid promotion allowances to our staff, and also embarked on substantial infrastructural development.
“We initiated new programmes and now have Faculties of Law, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences and Health Sciences.
“Not long ago, the National Universities Commission (NUC) granted approval for the creation of the Faculty of Education.
“Three new programmes are also set to take off in the Faculty of Sciences – Zoology, Plant Science and Biotechnology.
‘’These expansions are strategically designed to fulfill the admission requirements of both NUC and JAMB, while also addressing the immediate needs of our evolving environment,” he said
Matur thanked the Plateau government for its efforts toward ensuring that all academic programmes in the university had full accreditation.
The vice chancellor advised students to continue with the ongoing registration for the new session, adding that negotiations with the striking lecturers toward resolving the issues were ongoing.