The Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Idowu Olayinka has declared that the university is currently understaffed with 1,834 in all category, making lecturers and other workers overstretched.
Olayinka said with a student population of 32,228, full-time equivalents and the current number of staff at about 2,736, it means the university is short of 1,834 staff in all categories.
The VC made these revelations while addressing the audience at the third edition of the institution’s stakeholders’ meeting held at the Alumni Association auditorium of the institution on Thursday.
The Forum, which was anchored by the Director of Centre of Excellence, Dr. Akin Olubunmi, had in attendance staff of the university, parents, students and other stakeholders.
The Vice-Chancellor while addressing the audience said “The University is currently understaffed as a result of difficulty being experienced in hiring new staff and placing them on the payroll. A number of our colleagues are retiring, some have resigned while unfortunately, some died.
“We currently have 1,490 academic staff, 456 senior technologists/technical staff, 286 senior administrative staff, 196 senior secretarial staff, 155 junior technical staff, and 153 junior administrative staff.
“With a total student population of 30,105 in terms of the headcount of full time students and a total full time equivalent of 32,228, and using the NUC norm, there is a shortage of 374 academic staff, a shortage of 397 in the senior technologist cadre, a shortage of 931 in the junior technical staff cadre and shortage of 132 in the junior administrative staff category”.
Olayinka then submitted that the analysis “suggests that our staff are over overstretched even while at the same time they are overworked. We cannot thank them enough for their patience and forbearance. we are making representation to the relevant authorities in Abuja so that we would be able to engage new staff, especially at the lower levels”.
Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Akin Onigbinde (SAN) in his opening address urged the management of the institution to continually be proactive and be innovative in its ways to improve the standard of the institution
Onigbinde said, “The university of Ibadan must constantly continue to think out innovative ways of reinventing itself, and transforming itself for relevance and development. It is commonly acknowledged that one of the greatest areas of our national needs is in the area of leadership; leadership across the board.
“University of Ibadan must continually identify the areas of needs and address these directly and frontally. The University of Ibadan will also do well to create niches in addressing the most critical areas of need of pain and challenges of Nigeria, Africa, and promote their areas of greatest promise and prospects.
“It must engage in in the kind of innovative thinking that created the likes of the Chatham House. Ibadan has the means, and the men and women to make it happen”.
