ASUU FUT Minna hosts inaugural valedictory congress for 5 retiring professors

Professor Oyewobi warned that the modern university structure is currently under attack by three major contemporary threats:

• The Technology Fallacy: The flawed misconception that automated online platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) engines can replace human mentors and the deep, organic master-student relationship.
• The Commercialisation of Learning: The dangerous transformation of universities into corporate “degree factories” that prioritise enrollment volume and commercial revenue over rigorous scholarship.
• Administrative Bloat: The growth of internal management bureaucracy that prioritises surface-level performance metrics and corporate audits over actual quality teaching and research.

Bridging the Manpower Deficit: FUT Minna Set to Recruit

Addressing the massive vacuum left by the retiring professors, the Vice-Chancellor of FUT Minna, Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta, revealed that the institution has taken proactive steps to secure the university’s academic future.

He announced that the Federal Government granted the university an explicit waiver last year to recruit nearly 200 new academic personnel. Furthermore, the institution has received an authorised establishment act to make further strategic recruitment provisions throughout 2026.

To ensure that the newly introduced specialised courses do not suffer from a sudden drop in expert oversight, Vice-Chancellor Kuta confirmed that the university has offered contract extensions to the retirees.

This arrangement allows them to remain on campus as active mentors to the newly recruited junior faculty.

Responding on behalf of the retirees, Professor Helmina Olufunmilayo Akanya noted that transforming Nigerian higher education is a shared responsibility requiring equal commitment from lecturers, students, families, and the state.

She emphasised that while lecturers must continue to give their best, the government must step up to provide the advanced infrastructure needed to make Nigerian universities globally competitive.