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We promoted over 150 lecturers to professorial cadre during my tenure - outgoing UNIZIK VC

 
 

By Madu Obi


The outgoing Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Professor Charles Esimone has said that one of his priorities in the last five years was improving the welfare of the staff, explaining that no fewer than 150 lecturers were promoted to professorial cadre within the period.


Addressing reporters in Awka, Esimone said the promotions were not restricted to the academic staff, adding that other categories of workers who were stagnated over the years were also promoted.


He said: "In the five years that I was the Vice Chancellor, we have promoted over 150 people to the professorial cadre, and that is the highest of any Nigerian University. Promotions were done very fast during my tenure.


Significantly, there are people who have been held in one position for so long by the previous administrations. I don’t know any reason they could not promote them, but I looked at their records and I found them due for promotion and I promoted them.


We also touched non-academic staff where many of them were stagnated. We were able to remove the bar, brought their cases to the university council and got approval and they could now move from Level 14 to Level 15.

Before, Level 15 was just for such offices as Bursar or Registrar. There were also a lot of junior staff who were stagnated and I had to remove the bar and they were also promoted.


There was a case of one particular woman who was almost getting mentally deranged because of over 19 years of suppression. When I came, they brought her case to me and I called on the Registrar to review her salary.


They said she was having mental issues, but that mental issue was a problem associated with the suppression. When we promoted her, the mental problem disappeared.


Now she comes to work regularly and has become normal. There were a lot of people in that category and they have been promoted.


In terms of welfare, when I came on board, I saw that the issue was very bad, with four people sharing a bag of rice. I said it was not right because it is the junior workers that need the rice most as the senior workers can afford to buy bags of rice. I decided that everybody, whether senior or junior, should get one bag.


We have also achieved proper placement of workers and everybody is now happy.

My philosophy is that if I want to accomplish something, I make sure that those who will help to accomplish it are properly motivated and they will do the work without compulsion."

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