UNIUYO records 240 professorial promotion in five years – VC

Akpan Umoh

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Prof. Enefiok Essien, said 240 staff in the professorial cadre, comprising associate professors and professors, were promoted during his five years tenure.

Essien said this during an end of tenure media chat in Uyo on Wednesday, revealed that he has cleared the backlog of promotions for nonteaching staff as far back as 2011.

According to him, staff welfare was his primary concern to ensure they were rewarded for their labours by conducting promotions as when due, converting staff with higher qualifications to their appropriate ranks, paying promotion arrears, hazard allowances, as well as promoting stagnated staff of the university staff school.

The vice chancellor said that out of the 76 inaugural lectures the university has had from 1991 to date, 30 of them representing 40 per cent of the whole took place during his administration.

According to him, an electronic voting system was introduced for the Students Union Government (SUG) elections, where the students voted from the comfort of their rooms, thereby erasing the issue of discontent among students during their executive transition.

He added that he operated an open-door policy for students, ran a yearly convocation ceremony such that students could get their certificates afterwards.

He stated that 153 students expelled from the university in November 2015 before he became vice chancellor were reinstated in 2016 during his administration after they showed remorse.

The outgoing VC whose tenure would elapse on November 30, said his five-year tenure enjoyed relative peace as there were no internal dispute that would lead to the closure of the institution either through demonstration or strike by the staff or the students.

“We have had regular promotion as and when due. We cleared the backlog particularly for non-teaching staff, some dated to 2011.

“Academic staff too have had regular promotions except this year that the appointments and promotion committee could not meet due to the COVID-19 lockdown/closure and the ASUU strike which has still not yet been called off.

“For promotions in the professorial cadre, we have had more in my five years tenure than in any other tenure before now.

“Between December 2015 and November 2020, we have had a total of 240 professorial promotion, made up of Associate Professors and Professors,” Essien said.

He said the University has full accreditation for most of its programmes from both the National and Universities Commission and relevant professional bodies, adding that the institution has collaborations with universities in America, Europe and Asia.