Did you know that despite the lean financial position of the state, Gov. Ben Ayade has made CRUTECH the highest paying state University in Nigeria?
He is the first Professor to govern the state and also a former Lecturer. He understands how better welfare package helps to keep academics motivated.
What Governor Ayade has done for CRUTECH, there's no Governor since the birth of the University that has done it.
He became Governor at a time CRUTECH was known for incessant industrial actions. Some of the things responsible for the industrial disputes were agitation for improved welfare for staff as it concerns Earned Academic Allowances as well as the agitation for increase in the monthly subvention from government to the University.
Swiftly, Governor Ayade responded by merging Lecturers Academic Allowances to the salary thereby making the institution the highest paying state University in Nigeria.
Today, ASUU is planning to go on strike because of this because the federal government has refused to replicate the Gov. Ayade's template in federal institutions.
Also, he increased the institution's monthly subvention from N169m to N215m; the exact sum the institution requested at the time to enable management pay salaries.
He equally provided the University with more vehicles.
It's also on record that since he became Governor, the institution has not lost accreditation for any of its courses put forward for accreditation.
NUC has visited the University more than three times since he assumed office in 2015 and CRUTECH has not only sustained her programmes 100% but got approval to expand her curriculum offerings to run more departments and faculties.
Similarly, CRUTECH was about five years without convocation at the time he assumed office. But in 2017, barely two years in office, the Governor approved funds for a joint convocation for five different sets.
Personally, I didn't attend the convocation because I didn't find it appealing again five years after graduation. In fact, at the time of the joint convocation, I had already completed my Master Degree Programme.
During the convocation, Gov. Ayade also instituted N100m research grant to encourage research and development in the institution.
These are just a few things the Governor has done to make the institution better.
There's no doubt that CRUTECH like any other public University in Nigeria needs more funding, but when people come on social media to paint a picture like CRUTECH is the worst funded University in Nigeria, it becomes expedient to remind them that Gov. Ayade has done more.
Also, remind them that he did all these despite Cross River state receiving the least monthly federal allocation since the return of democracy in 1999.
There was a time Cross River was one of the richest states in South South but the only news that was coming out of CRUTECH was strike and not improved funding as it is today.
Hopefully, when the Governor assents to the amended CRUTECH Establishment Bill, more good news will come the way of the Institution.
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