The management of North-Eastern University, Gombe, formerly Pen Resource University, has approved salary increases ranging from 40 per cent to 65 per cent for its staff, effective immediately.
The university disclosed this in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mukhtar Saulawa, on Monday, adding that the latest adjustment was the third major salary review approved by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor and Founder, Dr Sani Jauro, in three years.
According to the statement, the university had earlier increased staff salaries by up to 35 per cent in October 2023, while another 20 per cent increase followed the institution’s performance in the October 2024 National Universities Commission accreditation exercise.
It said all programmes presented by the university during the 2024 accreditation exercise received full accreditation, with an aggregate score of 91.4 per cent.
The statement quoted Jauro as saying that the latest salary increase was motivated by his belief that investment in university staff was critical to achieving academic excellence.
Explaining his decision to continue increasing salaries despite the rising cost of running a university, the founder said his experience as a university lecturer had shaped his commitment to staff welfare.
“I was a member of ASUU as far back as 1989, so I know the pains and pleasure of being a university lecturer,” he said.
He added, “Education is our family legacy. Besides, this university is conceived as a flagship university that brings to life what our ASUU struggles tried in vain to do all these years.”
Jauro also recalled the contribution of his late father, Malam Jauro Gombe, whom he described as one of the early individuals who promoted education in Gombe State.
He said continued investment in education provided an opportunity to sustain the legacy and extend its impact to future generations.
The latest salary review comes as the university prepares for its maiden convocation after graduating its pioneer set of students.
According to the statement, the maiden convocation is scheduled for November/December 2026, marking what the institution described as a major milestone in its development.
The university also announced that it had secured full accreditation from the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria for its Architecture programme.
It claimed that North-Eastern University was currently the only university in the North-East with full ARCON accreditation for the programme.
The founder’s salary intervention, the university said, was part of a broader strategy to recognise staff commitment, attract and retain qualified personnel, strengthen research and innovation and create an enabling environment for teaching and learning.
The institution also disclosed that Jauro had approved a 50 per cent scholarship for students admitted into six programmes considered strategically relevant to the petroleum, energy, industrial and environmental sectors.
The programmes are B.Sc. Petroleum Chemistry, B.Sc. Environmental Management and Toxicology, B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry, B.Sc. Microbiology, B.Sc. Biotechnology, and B.Sc. Urban and Regional Planning.
The university said the programmes were selected because of their relevance to emerging opportunities in the Kolmani area of Gombe and Bauchi states and the wider North-East.
It said the scholarship initiative was intended to expand access to higher education while developing human capital for emerging areas of economic development.
The salary intervention will also extend to Pen Resource Academy, the institution’s founding nursery, primary and secondary school.
According to the university, the founder approved an additional 20 per cent salary increase on all emoluments for all categories of staff of the academy.
Reacting to the latest development, the Vice-Chancellor of North-Eastern University, Prof. Yusuph Yahaya, described the salary review as a demonstration of confidence in the university’s workforce and future.
Yahaya said the quality of a university depended largely on the people responsible for teaching, administration, research and other support services.
“The success of a university is ultimately measured by the quality of the people who teach, support and sustain it,” he said.
He added, “This gesture is both a recognition of what our staff have accomplished and an investment in what we expect to achieve in the years ahead.”
The university management expressed appreciation to Jauro for what it described as his sustained investment in infrastructure, equipment, facilities and staff welfare, saying the support had created an environment conducive to teaching, learning, research and innovation.