The Pro-Chancellor and Founder of North-Eastern University (NEU), Gombe, in Gombe State, Dr. Sani Jauro, has approved a salary increase with adjustments ranging from a minimum of 40% to as much as 65% for all categories of staff with immediate effect.

The announcement was made in a statement signed by the University’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mukhtar Sani Saulawa, and issued to our correspondent.

The statement described it as the third major salary increment by the Founder in three years.

It noted that the increment comes at a significant time as the university graduates its pioneer set of students and prepares for its maiden convocation ceremony scheduled for November/December this year.

According to the statement, the university previously implemented a salary increase of up to 35% in October 2023, followed by another 20% increase after recording full accreditation for all programmes in the October 2024 NUC exercise with an aggregate score of 91.4%.

Explaining the rationale behind the latest review, the statement quoted Dr. Jauro as saying it was driven by his commitment to staff welfare and academic excellence.

“The success of a university is ultimately measured by the quality of the people who teach, support and sustain it.

“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,” he said.

In a related development, the university announced a 50% scholarship for students admitted into six programmes: B.Sc. Petroleum Chemistry, B.Sc. Environmental Management & Toxicology, B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry, B.Sc. Microbiology, B.Sc. Biotechnology and B.Sc. Urban and Regional Planning.

The statement stated that the programmes were selected “because of their relevance to the petroleum and energy sector and the wider industrial and environmental activities associated with petroleum development, “particularly the emerging opportunities in the Kolmani area of Gombe and Bauchi States and the North-East in general.”

The university also disclosed that its Architecture programme has secured full accreditation from the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) adding that the North-Eastern University is currently the only university in the North-East with the accreditation.