The Governing Council of the University of Abuja has approved the promotion of 10 members of the academic staff of the university.
Six of them were promoted to the rank of professor, while the other four rose to the rank of associate professor.
“Those newly promoted to the rank of Professor include Dr Wasiu Olugbenga Gabadeen (Educational Management); Dr Ogbe Adamu Okuwa (Veterinary Medicine); Dr Idu Edwin Ejoga (Agricultural Extension and Communication); Dr Pam Z. Chuwang (Field Crops Agronomy); Dr Binta Ibrahim Zaifada Educational Administration and Planning) and Dr Eunice Bose Oke (Educational Management.),” the university announced in a statement by its spokesperson, Habib Yakoob.
“Those promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, include Dr Hamza Na’Uzo (with specialization in Grammar, Semantics and Socio-Linguistics); Dr Mathew Sunday Dada(Educational Administration and Planning); Dr Biyaya Beatrice Nwankwo (Community Medicine) and Dr Yunusa Thairu (Medical Microbiology and Parasitology.),” the statement reads in part.
According to the statement by the spokesperson, the promotions took effect from 2018 and 2019 following the receipt of the external assessment report of their publications.
“The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah said the promotion was a testimony to their hard work and dedication to scholarship, urging the staff to engage more in quality research and teaching for the betterment of the University and national development,” he said.
He said there will be further promotion of academic and non-teaching staff at the next Council meeting, which will soon be held to discuss some of the issues relating to staff who have applied for promotion and to resolve all issues relating to interviews and vacancies.
The promotion is coming at a time a nationwide strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has delayed the resumption of universities from the closure enforced in March by the COVID-19 health emergency.
ASUU started a strike on 10 March before the university and other schools in Nigeria were closed as part of steps to monitor the spread of Covid-19 in Nigeria.
The University of Abuja was founded on 1 January 1988 as a dual-mode university with the mandate to run both standard and distance learning programs. Academic work at the university did not begin until 1990.