Lead City University has carved a reputation of excellence for itself as a first choice university in the country through discipline and commitment to academic works and staff welfare, Prof. Kabiru Adeyemo, Vice-Chancellor of the first private university in Oyo State, has said.
The VC spoke on Thursday in Ibadan at a Breakfast Meeting organised by the South-West Group of Online Publishers.
Adeyemo attributed the progress being made by the institution since its establishment in year 2005 by Prof. Jide Owoeye, to doggedness on the part of the management and the Council of the university, saying that in 2021 alone, the Lead City University recruited 68 new full teaching staff, while 183 other lecturers were contracted on adjunct and visiting basis in a bid to strengthen the existing full-time staff capacity.
Among the 68 new teaching staff are four full professors, five associate professors and seven senior lecturers. Forty-five other staff, including Graduate Assistants and Lecturers I were employed, while two expatriate academics were recruited from the United Kingdom and Australia.
The VC said, “In the administrative and technical staff cadre, 46 new members of staff were appointed. 20 new staff were recruited for the University hospital comprising of three new medical doctors, one additional pharmacist, eight nurses, six medical laboratory staff, a dental technician and other categories of staff.
“This is to strengthen our resolve to provide quality and adequate healthcare services dispensed by competent and experienced healthcare providers for our students and staff.”
“In the academic staff cadre, a total of 105 staff members received promotion to higher positions. These include two full professors, seven associate professors, nine senior lecturers, 47 Lecturers I and 32 Lecturers II.
“Five Graduate Assistants were also elevated to Assistant Lecturer positions, while three Librarians I got promoted to Senior Librarians.
“In the non-teaching cadre, many deserving members of staff got elevation to higher positions. It is worthy of mention that every member of staff in the university, without exception in both teaching and non-teaching cadres, received fat salary increment.
“It is also worthy of mention that the university has created its own salary scales for both teaching and non-teaching staff which is far higher than the salary scales in use in most Nigerian public universities.”
The university administrator also stated that the management had zero tolerance for misconduct by both staff and students.
He said adequate checks were put in place to guide against cultism, brigandage, rape and other social vices among the students, just as measures were put in place to ensure discipline among the staff of the institution.
“Lead City University pays zero tolerance to issues of misconduct and other behaviours of negative nature to official matters among its staff.
“We follow laid down procedures as provided in the University’s Human Resources Management Policy and Conditions of Service for staff. During the year under consideration, some erring members of staff were given sanctions, depending on the gravity of their offences.
“Some have been relieved of their positions for offences ranging from absconding from duty, not complying with terms and conditions of employment, betraying trust placed on them by the university and engaging in acts that are detrimental to the interest of the university.
“Some were placed on suspension for specific period of time and some given letters of warning.
“In all disciplinary cases involving students, they were always given fair hearing before being referred to the Students Disciplinary Committee, which critically looked into the allegations and make appropriate recommendations to the Management.
“The decisions of the Management on each case were then forwarded to the University Council for approval before conveying such decision to the concerned students,” he said.
On how the institution surmounted the COVID-19 pandemic, Adeyemo said, “The idea of online classes came in and the parents were happy about it. Students began registration immediately and we were able to pay salaries. We never, at anytime, paid half salary. You will recall that some schools cancelled a whole academic session. Imagine what it means to miss an academic session.”
