ASUU offers scholarships to 2 indigent UNN students

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has put smiles on the faces of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) undergraduates with the award of scholarships to help them pursue their education.

A member of the ASUU Board of Trustees and Chairman, National Visitation Panel, Prof. Sule-kano Abdullahi, presented the cheques for N200,000 to each of the two beneficiaries during the ASUU-UNN congress in Nsukka on Friday.

In a speech, Abdullahi said that the award was designed to support indigent students in Nigerian universities to pursue their education.

He said, “ASUU instituted this annual scholarship scheme since 2018 for two indigent students in all branches of the union and had continued till date, in spite all challenges.”

He announced that after the screening by ASUU-UNN branch, the national body approved the nomination of Ugwu Maryjane and Ugwu Promise as lucky beneficiaries from UNN-ASUU scholarship scheme 2023.

He admonished them to make judicious use of the N200,000 by committing it to their education.

“I commend UNN-ASUU for giving N30,000 each as consolation prize to other nine students who applied,” he said.

Abdullahi, who is a former National President of ASUU, said his panel was also in UNN to interact with the members of the union on their challenges so as to channel them to ASUU National Secretariat.

Also, the Chairman of UNN-ASUU, Mr Oyibo Eze, thanked the national visitation team for being part of their congress and interacting with the members.

Eze expressed appreciation to the national body of the union for the scholarship award to two indigent students of UNN.

He explained that 11 indigent students of the university applied for the available two slots.

“ASUU-UNN in support of the national body decided to give consolation prize of N30,000 each to the remaining nine students that applied, so as to help them in their education.

“ASUU will continue do its best to ensure quality education for the Nigerian students,” he said.

He disclosed that one of the resolutions of the congress was the union’s repeated call for the Federal Government to release their eight months withheld salaries for 2022 in the interest of justice.

Eze also disclosed that the congress urged UNN management to stop the ongoing review of the fifth edition of ‘yellow book of the university’ (guidelines for promotion) that allegedly contained stringent conditions for the promotion of academic staff members.

“The feelers we are getting are that when this review is approved, a lecturer will publish an article that will cost a processing fee of between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars as one of the conditions for his or her promotion.

“Some lecturers monthly salary is not up to 200 dollar, so where will they get this money?

“What it means is that they will not be promoted for many years,” Eze said.

According to him, the union has written to the management on this issue and was told to talk to Deans of Faculties who are members of the University Appraisal Committee that has the power to approve the review.

Responding on behalf of the other beneficiaries, Maryjane thanked ASUU national body and the UNN branch for assisting them to pursue their education with the scholarship award.

She said that the money would go a long way in solving the financial needs for their studies.