By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
The Pro-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ambassador Godknows Baladei Igali, has urged the new Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Adenike Oladiji, to prioritise the welfare of workers.
Igali, who is also the Chairman of Council, said this on Tuesday 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 top most priority to welfare of members of the University community. The saying goes ‘an incentivised worker is a productive worker,’ 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.”
He recounted that the election process that produced the new VC was painstakingly done with honesty, fairness and transparency to produce the best candidate.
Recounting the selection process, he revealed that “Council shortlisted twenty (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.”
He added that, “It is indeed a well-deserved appointment. In a sector mainly dominated by the 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.”
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 private sector, bilateral partners, international organisations 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.
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.
Reaching out to co-contestants, she said, “I therefore wholeheartedly 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.
“I must say at this juncture that many have extended the 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.
“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.
“Addressing most of the big issues facing humanity captured succinctly in the sustainable development goals requires that we network across country borders and academic disciplines. No single institution, country or discipline can exclusively provide solutions.
“We will network and be the hub for the much-desired change in the higher education sector,” she said.
The Professor of Biochemistry, Oladiji, listed her focus on improved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), staff and student’s welfare, capacity building, research, infrastructural development, and positive impacts on host communities, amongst others.