The disclosure was made by the Institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Idowu Olayinka, on Thursday in an address at the third stakeholders’ forum themed, “The State of the University”, which held at the multipurpose Hall, UI Alumni Association Centre on the campus of the institution.
The meeting was chaired by a legal luminary, Dr. Akin Onigbinde.
Olayinka said instead of 4,570 personnel, the university has on its employment a total of 2,736 staff which he said is not good enough for the institution.
He puts the staff strength at 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.
According to the VC, 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 a shortage of 132 in the junior administrative staff category.
He noted that the current understaffing situation abated because of the difficulties being experienced in hiring new staff and placing them on the payroll with a number of staffs retiring, resigning and some others died.
However, he assured that the Federal Government has been contacted in Abuja on the shortfall so that the institution would employ more staff.
Olayinka said, “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 head count of full time students and a total full time equivalent of 32,228 and using the NUC (National University Commission) 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 a shortage of 132 in the junior administrative staff category.
“The foregoing suggests that our staff are overworked, 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.”
“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. On the other hand, the university has been expanding with the introduction of new academic programmes and departments.”
The VC also used the opportunity of the meeting to announce to the stakeholders that the 2018/2019 academic session would commence on Saturday June 15, 2019, adding that the new students should resume on the same day as orientation programme would start two days later.
He also said returning students would resume on Saturday June 22, while lectures for the new session would begin on June 24.
While speaking ahead of November convocation of the institution, Olayinka disclosed that about 207 students would graduate with first-class honours during the ceremony “even though many of them would have gone for their one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) before the convocation ceremony.”
In a brief remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Akin Onigbinde, enjoined UI to constantly continue to think out innovative ways of reinventing itself, and transforming itself for relevance and development, been a premier institution in the country.
TheNation
