By Oludamisi Ojo
The Pro-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ambassador Godknows Baladei Igali (OON), has urged the new Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, to prioritize the welfare of workers.
Igali, who is also the Chairman of the Council, spoke in Akure during the inauguration of Oladiji as the first female and eighth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the university.
According to him, “One question of great concern is the importance of according topmost priority to welfare of members of the University community. The saying goes ’an incentivized worker is a productive worker,’ and vice versa.
“The welfare of all sections of the university community must be taken very seriously and be rest assured that I will do my level best to assist and support you in this respect.”
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He recalled that the election process that produced the new VC was painstakingly done with honesty, fairness, and transparency to produce the best candidate
He said” The council shortlisted 20 candidates out of the twenty-nine (29) that applied for the position of the Vice-Chancellor in line with the stated criteria.
“The selection criteria were also strictly followed by the Selection Board to arrive at the three candidates based strictly on merit.”
“It is indeed a well-deserved appointment. In a sector mainly dominated by male folks, it is highly commendable that you could prove your mettle and emerge at the top.
‘You, therefore, need to hit the ground running and work assiduously to not only sustain but improve upon the current rating of the university. You need to provide exemplary leadership and bring harmony among the various sectors of the university.
” You will have to surpass the achievements of your predecessors in terms of academic and infrastructural development. You must be able to bring your managerial abilities to the fore to harness available resources to achieve breakthroughs for the university on all fronts.”
Amb Igali urged her to pay very close attention to the question of partnerships both national and international, listing many benefits the institution can gain from the private sector, bilateral partners, international organizations and alumni Association.
The Chairman of the Council pledged to cooperate with the new VC and management to further take the university to greater heights, lauding the immediate past VC, Prof. Joseph Fuwape, for his uncommon leadership qualities.
The new VC, Prof. Oladiji expressed willingness to take the onerous task, assuring that the gains of FUTA in the past years would be sustained, improved upon and evolved on global strategies to secure the future.
To other co-contestants, she said: “I therefore whole heartedly extend a hand of fellowship to all others who aspired for this position, and I solicit your support and cooperation to move our great university to greater heights.
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“I must say at this juncture that many have extended hand of fellowship, I therefore salute your maturity and urge you to please let us join hands as we start a new phase in the history of FUTA. I am humbled by the many congratulatory messages.”
The new VC noted that the Federal University of Technology Akure is doing well but there is always room for improvement.
She said “As a university of technology, we must be prepared to deal with emerging questions that we did not know had to be answered. The COVID-19 experience showed there is a lot of ground yet uncovered.
The Professor of Biochemistry, Oladiji, listed her focus including improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), staff and student’s welfare, capacity building, research, infrastructural development, positive impacts on host communities, amongst others.
