The immediate past Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka has demonstrated his delight in the appointment of two female Deputy Vice Chancellors out of the three DVCs positions in the Premier University, pointing out that four out of the seven principal officers of the institution are females.
Olayinka, who stated this at the thanksgiving and reception in honour of his successor, Professor Kayode Adebowale lauded the new administration for being gender sensitive.
He said, “With this development the Vice-Chancellory at Tekena Tamuno Building, for the first time comprises two male and two female academics (50:50 ratio). It must have been a tasking assignment for you to come up with a shortlist of six distinguished colleagues whose name you sent to Senate on your first day in office, as required by extant regulations. There are at least 500 Professors in our highly competitive and star-studded UI each and all of whom is/are eminently qualified for consideration”.
“As we speak four out of the seven Principal Officers of the University of Ibadan are female. It doesn’t get better than this and this is easily a veritable way of implementing the spirit and letters of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy of the institution and encouraging education of the girl child. Only at Ibadan University is this feat possible and it is worthy of celebration. I have no doubt that Emeriti Professor Abiola Odejide, Quondam Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and a chief proponent and pioneer of Gender Mainstreaming will be very proud of the University on this count”, he added.
Eulogising the new VC, Olayinka said that the achievements of Adebowale within 27 days of his administration is commendable, adding that the new administration has been able to hold a meeting of Appointment and Promotions Committee for Academic Staff (A and P), where seven lecturers were promoted.
“This comprises four Professors and three Readers. You have by this singular act brought more joy, excitement and happiness to so many families. In Africa, it takes a village to raise a child (ditto for a professor). One is aware that the third and final external assessment reports for two of the colleagues only arrived by midday on the date of the meeting (Friday 19th October 2021) but as a compassionate person, you instructed the secretariat to go ahead to make photo copies ready for consideration of members of the A & P. Justice acted upon promptly is justice much appreciated. Silver and gold you do not have to distribute to the almost 6,000 staff of the University as our VC, but let the good Lord continue to use you and your high office in bringing smiles to the faces of our overworked and grossly underpaid colleagues”, Olayinka explained.
He congratulated the new VC for the success of the 2021 Convocation and Founder’s Day where the institution gave the first higher doctorate degree of Doctor of Letters in Humanities by examinations (assessment) in the Nigerian University System.
