Japa Syndrome: 20 UniJos lecturers die due to stress —VC
No fewer than 20 lecturers of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Plateau State, have died recently due to severe stress resulting from the shortage of manpower.
Prof Tanko Ishaya, the university’s vice chancellor, disclosed this at a news briefing in Jos, as part of activities marking his two years in office.
According to him, apart from deaths, the institution has also lost many of its lecturers through retirement and the ‘Japa’ syndrome, which has seen many of them leaving the country for greener pastures.
He said: “For well over five years now, we have not been able to carry out recruitment exercises to fill vacant positions.
“We have lost many of our members of staff through retirements, Japa syndrome and deaths.
“Some of these positions require that we recruit to avoid any gaps.”
The VC decried the lack of budgetary allocation for recruitment to replace the departed lecturers, adding that it had worsened the situation in the institution.
He further said that the absence of a Governing Council for the university was hampering the smooth running of the university.
Ishaya said that lack of finance had also affected the running of the school, adding that the university budgets to spend N13m monthly, but spends close to N100m.
He added that electricity alone gulps about N30m monthly.
Prof Ishaya said that the institution was also facing many other issues that had yet to be unattended to but which required urgent intervention.
