The North-Eastern University, Gombe, formerly known as Pen Resource University, has approved salary increases of between 40 per cent and 65 percent for the different categories of its staff.

The university disclosed this in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Mukhtar Saulawa, on Monday, describing the latest adjustment as the third major salary review approved by the institution’s Pro-Chancellor and Founder, Dr Sani Jauro, within three years.

According to the statement, the university increased staff salaries by up to 35 per cent in October 2023, while another 20 per cent increase was approved following the institution’s performance in the October 2024 National Universities Commission accreditation exercise.

The university’s statement explained that the founder had approved an additional 20 per cent salary increase on all emoluments for all categories of staff of the academy.

Reacting to the development, the Vice-Chancellor of North-Eastern University, Prof. Yusuph Yahaya, described the salary review as a demonstration of confidence in the institution’s workforce and future.

Yahaya said the quality of a university depended largely on the people 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 university management commended Jauro for what it described as sustained investment in infrastructure, equipment, facilities and staff welfare, saying the support has helped create an environment conducive to teaching, learning, research and innovation.

It disclosed that all the programmes it presented during the 2024 accreditation exercise received full accreditation, with an aggregate score of 91.4 per cent.

While explaining the rationale behind the latest salary increase, Jauro said he was committed to investing in the welfare of university staff because of the role they play in achieving academic excellence.

He noted that his personal experience as a university lecturer influenced his decision to prioritise staff welfare despite the rising cost of running 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 also 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 observed that continued investment in education would help preserve the family’s legacy while extending its impact to future generations.

Press reports that the latest salary review comes as the university prepares for its maiden convocation after graduating its pioneer set of students.

The institution said the maiden convocation would hold in November/December 2026, describing it as a significant milestone in its development.

The university also announced that its Architecture programme had secured full accreditation from the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria.

It claimed that it was currently the only university in the North-East with full ARCON accreditation for Architecture.

The institution maintained that the salary increase formed part of a broader strategy to recognise staff commitment, attract and retain qualified personnel, strengthen research and innovation and provide an enabling environment for teaching and learning.

Jauro also 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.

According to the university, 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 stressed that the scholarship was designed to expand access to higher education and develop human capital for emerging areas of economic development.

Our correspondent reports that the salary intervention will also cover Pen Resource Academy, the institution’s founding nursery, primary and secondary school.