The management of Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, has announced the clearance of all outstanding arrears of staff promotions across all cadres as a major achievement ahead of its forthcoming combined
convocation ceremony.
The Vice-Chancellor, Ndukwe Okeugo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a pre-convocation press conference held at the university’s Senate Chambers, noting that the milestone reflects the administration’s commitment to staff welfare and institutional stability.
He also highlighted the restoration of accreditation for the university’s teaching hospital, alongside notable infrastructural developments within the College of Medicine and the approval for the construction of an ultra-modern Faculty of Pharmacy Complex, as well as progress in securing professional accreditations.
Professor Okeugo explained that previous cases of unpaid salaries were largely due to poor documentation and administrative lapses, adding that salaries are now paid consistently on or before the 28th of every month.
On security, he described ABSU as a safe learning environment, attributing the improved situation to the efforts of Alex Otti, whose interventions have addressed security challenges, including kidnapping. He noted that no staff member has been kidnapped in the past year.
The Vice-Chancellor said the institution has also taken firm steps to improve academic standards by discontinuing the indiscriminate transfer of students into professional programmes such as Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Law—an issue that previously contributed to a backlog of graduates awaiting Law School admission and professional induction.
He further revealed that the state government is undertaking major projects, including the construction of modern Faculty of Law and Agriculture complexes to facilitate their relocation from Umuahia to the main campus in Uturu, while commending Governor Otti and other stakeholders for their continued support.
Professor Okeugo announced that Barth Nnaji, Chairman of Geometric Power Aba and former Minister of Power, will deliver the pre-convocation lecture scheduled for Thursday.
He added that ABSU has regained access to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) research grants after clearing outstanding financial retirements linked to previous interventions, which had earlier barred the institution from accessing Institution-Based Research (IBR) funding.
According to him, 33 IBR proposals from ABSU have already been approved with 60 per cent of the first tranche released, while an additional 45 proposals are awaiting approval. He noted that the university has also resolved issues that led to its suspension from TETFund-sponsored conferences and academic training programmes.
Highlighting research progress, the Vice-Chancellor cited ongoing studies on the use of medicinal plants in treating cancer, prostate-related diseases, and diarrhoea, as well as innovations in producing wine from indigenous fruits.
On academic performance, he revealed that eight programmes recently assessed by the National Universities Commission (NUC), including Law, Pharmacy, and Mass Communication, secured full accreditation.
He also announced the introduction of new programmes such as Software Engineering, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and ICT.
Meanwhile, the Director of Physical Planning, Architect Emma Nwankpa, alongside the university’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chijioke Nwogu, conducted journalists on a tour of ongoing infrastructure projects across the campus.
