Universities in Nigeria are facing a severe staff crisis as hundreds of teachers leave to seek greener pastures in foreign countries despite a high number of retirements at the varsities.

In separate interviews with newsmen on Sunday, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapters corroborated this, saying the scarcity was caused by a surge in lecturers leaving Nigeria and concerns about the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

ASUU at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto said about 100 teachers had departed, while the union at the Federal University of Gusau in Zamfara said the institution needed about 1,000 academics to cover the gaps left by those who had left.

The union at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the institution had over 350 academic vacancies, while 27 lecturers left two faculties at the University of Lagos and 100 workers at the University of Uyo fled the country.