Striking ASUU lecturers besiege Maduka university for employment as NUC makes final inspection

Some members of the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), including professors, are among those seeking employment in the yet-to-be-opened Maduka University, Ekwegbe-Nsukka in Enugu State.

The private university is owned by Sam Onyishi, chairman of Peace Group. The university, which houses Maduka College, is situated on over 500 hectares of land and boasts state-of-the-art educational facilities.

A lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who pleaded anonymity said, “What we have passed through in the past seven months without salaries is a lesson. I am a professor, and it would be better to work in a good private university because anything the government does has become uncertain due to the insincerity of the government. ”

Another lecturer, who identified himself as Dr Okoli, said, “Maduka University is the destination. The edifice speaks of an emerging world-class university, again, whatever Onyishi puts his hand into must be a serious business. I’ll surely seek to work there. ”

“Many people do come here and we refer them to the admin. They are coming to look for jobs, some identified themselves as professors,” a guard at the university was quoted to have said.

In a related development, the National Universities Commission visited the university complex on the 16th of August to assess its readiness for the commencement of academic activities.

This visit is the National Universities Commission’s final inspection to the university to determine the conduciveness of the site as a campus. As such, it will play a major role in the Federal Executive Council’s decision to grant the tertiary institution an operating license.

The NUC representatives noted being impressed with the campus and acknowledged that it would no doubt be a conducive environment for not just the incoming students but also the academic and non-academic staff.

Speaking with journalists earlier this year, Onyishi revealed that the university was founded to address the gaps and lapses in the current Nigerian educational setup, which is a dominant cause of the country’s high unemployment rate.

“I am laying a foundation for self-reliance because my university is an entrepreneurial university. The plan is that any graduate of our university should be able to run his or her own business, the course the graduate reads, notwithstanding, “he said. “The long-term goal is human capital development—providing a platform for people to acquire knowledge and then take care of themselves,” he continued.

Even before the commencement of operations, Maduka University is said to be gearing up to be the best of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.