Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has charged Deans, designated Directors, Deputy Registrars and Heads of Department to identify, nurture and maximise the potentials of staff under their purview. She made this call on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at the opening ceremony of the 2-day training organised by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics & Research) in collaboration with Staff Training and Development Centre (STDC) for management staff of the University.
While affirming that: “What we do with the present determines what the future is”, Professor Ogunsola reiterated her belief that UNILAG can be made for the future as she has deduced from numerous interactions that the University of Lagos has a great advantage in the quality of its staff, several of whom have great ideas and potentials that are yet to be explored.
The Vice-Chancellor further explained that her vision for building a Future Ready UNILAG is built on four (4) pillars: finances, infrastructure, the university’s reputation and manpower development. She urged leaders at all levels of the University’s administration to embody the realities of their roles as members of the university management in their offices. She informed that, by being members of management at these different levels, Deans, designated Directors, Deputy Registrars and Heads of Department are involved in the aforementioned pillars as they are developed at unit/departmental/faculty/centre levels while the onus lies on principal officers of the university to manage the advice or requests from all the different levels of management.
She therefore, entrusted participants at the training with deepening their study and understanding of the published Regulations Governing the Conditions of Service of Staff in the University of Lagos, so as to better discharge their duties as the arms of the University management that are in closer contact with members of the community: staff, students and other stakeholders. She emphasised the need for them to also brainstorm on ways to expunge redundancies that may exist in these tenets of the University. Professor Ogunsola highlighted her expectations of the outcome of the training to include participants devising:
- ways to effectively manage the university’s finances e.g., through cost reduction, optimal use of resources, increase of generated income etc. to build the university;
- ways to effectively reintroduce onboarding of fresh students and staff into their academic pursuits and responsibilities of their respective careers, as the case may be;
- ways to fully optimise the opportunities available to members of the community.
- ways to improve research quality in the university so as to revive the relevancy of academia in the country by having more to offer Nigeria and the world at large;
- ways to imbibe the practice of developing and religiously following unit/department/faculty/institute/centre goals that align holistically with the goals of the University
- ways for all staff to truly work for the university and have the university work for its people etc.
Delivering the welcome address at the event, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics & Research), Professor Bolanle Oboh explained that, the 2-day training with the theme: “Achieving the University of the Future: Our Collective Responsibility”, was held physically to foster an interactive environment for participants to collectively move the University of Lagos forward. She extended her appreciation to the Deputy Registrar in charge of the Staff Training and Development Centre (STDC) Mrs. Josephine A. Asiwaju and her team for making the training a reality.
Professor Oboh indicated the University management’s readiness to hold such trainings more frequently to ensure that all arms of the university continuously work in tandem. She implored participants to make the best of the training opportunity and join hands in building a future-ready UNILAG.
The first training in the extensive schedule, titled “Academics & Administrative responsibilities of Deans and HODs – Promoting Proper Staff and Student Relationship”, was taken by Professor Ayodele V. Atsenuwa, a professor of public law and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), UNILAG. Harnessing her expert knowledge in law, she disambiguated several aspects of the University of Lagos Act, to help participants at the training develop a better understanding of their appointed positions.
She explained that an appointment to office means such an appointee must discharge her/his duties in line with the objects of the University of Lagos which are clearly stated in the university’s act. In view of this, she charged participants to explore future-forward techniques in ensuring the advancement of the University, noting that the actions and decisions carried out at all leadership levels within the university are recognised as actions and decisions of the university itself.
Professor Atsenuwa stressed the need for participants, who are leaders in their various offices to wear the cloak of problem solvers and forgo the practice of merely highlighting problems.
Other topics covered in the training schedule are:
| S/N | Title | Facilitator |
| 1. | Principles of Good Governance and Ethics in the Workplace | Professor Lucian O. Chukwu, DVC (MS) |
| 2 | Vital Areas of the Departmental Administration (Faculty/Departmental A&P, DTLC, Finance, Leaves, Misconducts, Ombudsman) | Professor Bola Oboh DVC (A&R) |
| 3. | Overview of Student’s Academic Matters Policies on studentship – transfers, matriculationCourse registration processesConduct of examinationsResult processing & Transcript | Mrs. OlakunleMakinde, Ag. Registrar |
| 4. | Governance & Finance in the University: What has Changed and the Expectations? BudgetExpenditureAllocation at the faculty & departmental level | Mrs. Olufunmilola Adekunle, Bursar |
| 5. | Role of the Academic Planning Unit | Professor Mathew O. Illori, Director, Academic Planning Unit |
| 6. | Improved Quality Assurance and Service Delivery System in the University | Professor Olufemi Saibu, Director, Quality Assurance and SERVICOM Unit |
| 7. | The Universities of the Future: Promoting the Regional & Internationalisation strategy of the University of Lagos | Professor Ibraheem Ismail, Director, IRPP |
| 8. | Leadership, Team building & Personal Motivation Leadership – what, typesTeam building – principlesMotivation | Dr. Taiwo F. Ipaye Director, AMDRC |
| 9. | Essential Requirements for Public Sector Procurement Procurement at the faculty & departmental level | Professor James Akanmu, Director, SPESSCE |
| 10. | Online teaching, e-administration and Computerization in the University | Professor Mohammed Amuda, Director, CITS |
| 11. | The University of First Choice & the Nation’s Pride: Advancing the University’s Ranking Paths to higher ranking & University visibility | Professor Lukmon Adams |
At the end of each day the Deputy Registrar, STDC, Mrs. Asiwaju, anchored an interactive session highlighting key points from the day’s lessons.
