North-Eastern University, Gombe, formerly known as Pen Resource University, has approved salary increases ranging from 40 per cent to 65 per cent for its various categories of staff.
Th Punch reported that the institution announced the development in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mukhtar Saulawa, describing the latest adjustment as the third major salary review approved by its Pro-Chancellor and Founder, Dr Sani Jauro, in three years.
According to the university, staff salaries were raised by as much as 35 per cent in October 2023, while a further 20 per cent increase was approved after the institution’s performance in the October 2024 National Universities Commission accreditation exercise.
The latest review includes an additional 20 per cent increase in the emoluments of all categories of staff.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yusuph Yahaya, said the decision reflected the founder’s confidence in the university’s workforce and its future prospects.
Yahaya noted that the effectiveness of any university depended largely on the quality of the personnel responsible for teaching, administration, research and support services.
“The success of a university is ultimately measured by the quality of the people who teach, support and sustain it,” the Vice-Chancellor 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 management praised Jauro for his continued investment in infrastructure, equipment, facilities and staff welfare, saying the initiatives had contributed to a better environment for teaching, learning, research and innovation.
The university said all the programmes it presented during the 2024 NUC accreditation exercise obtained full accreditation, recording an aggregate score of 91.4 per cent.
Explaining the latest salary intervention, Jauro said he remained committed to improving the welfare of staff because of their importance to academic excellence.
He also said his experience as a university lecturer had shaped his decision to place staff welfare among his priorities despite the increasing cost of operating a university.
“I was a member of ASUU as far back as 1989, so I know the pains and pleasure of being a university lecturer,” Jauro 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 further recalled the contributions of his late father, Malam Jauro Gombe, whom he described as one of the early promoters of education in Gombe State.
He said sustained investment in education would help preserve the family’s legacy and ensure that its impact continued to benefit future generations.
The salary increase comes as the university prepares for its maiden convocation following the graduation of its pioneer set of students.
The institution said the ceremony is expected to take place in November or December 2026.
The university also announced that its Architecture programme had received full accreditation from the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, claiming it was currently the only university in the North-East with full ARCON accreditation for the programme.
According to the institution, the salary adjustment is part of a broader strategy aimed at rewarding staff commitment, attracting and retaining qualified personnel, promoting research and innovation, and strengthening teaching and learning.
In another welfare initiative, Jauro approved a 50 per cent scholarship for students admitted into six programmes considered 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 economic opportunities in the Kolmani area of Gombe and Bauchi states and across the wider North-East.
It added that the scholarship was designed to widen access to higher education while developing skilled manpower for emerging areas of economic growth.
The salary intervention will also extend to Pen Resource Academy, the university’s founding nursery, primary and secondary school.
