Vice Chancellor of the
Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Professor Rosemund Dienye Green-Osahogulu, has called on the Rivers State Government to compulsorily retire lecturers who are sixty years and above.
She made the call last Friday during the 30th – 32nd Convocation Ceremony of the university, which took place at the University Auditorium.
“We plead passionately with the State government to reconsider the devastating implications for the State University system of immediate retirement of all serving officers who are sixty years old or over sixty, their academic  standing, service experience and state of retirement – readiness notwithstanding”, she said.
Professor Green-Osahogulu, who made the request in her speech at the occasion, noted that implementation of the government’s decision to retire such lecturers in the state-owned tertiary institutions would mean that the universities would lose a considerable number of their good hands.
“If this state government policy actually gets implemented, the grave consequences of the state university system will be so debilitating that the state’s universities will literally crumble”, she said.
This is because “the residual institution in each case can no longer duly retain its place  as an accredited university in the Nigerian University System, as governed by Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC), let alone in the global world of recognised universities”, she stated.
The Professor of Science Education of further explained that if the policy is implemented, given the existing realities, “it will be baseless  to hope on the possibility of professional recruitment since most professors worth their salt today, will neither enter, nor remain in a system which will retire them at sixty rather than seventy”.
She, therefore, urged the Governor, Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, as the world-renowned Governor of the World Book Capital State Rivers State, to consider what she called “crucial appeal”.
While thanking the Governor for the last employment exercise which saw the university employ 350 graduates, Professor Osahogulu used the occasion to request for the employment of ‘at least 400’ staff comprising junior staff workers, cleaners gardeners, security, drivers, messengers, etc.
She also urged the Governor to do everything possible to ensure the completion of Iwofe Road, currently under repair.
While assuring on the State government’s determination to enhance the improvement of education in all the state-government owned tertiary institutions, the Governor, Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi noted that the key challenges facing the state government in the accomplishment of projects is the deprivation of the state by the Federal Government of funds due the state (from N25 billion to N12 billion/0.
This, he said, is due to the fact that the Federal Government, under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has legalized “stealing” in the public service.

Stories by Sogbeba Dokubo

Vice Chansellor of RSUST, Port Harcourt, Prof. Barineme Fakae (left) and the institution’s Librarian, Dame (Dr.) Blessing Ahiauzu during group inaugural lecture organised by the institution at Amphi -Threatre recently. Photo: Obinna Prince Dele