Top echelon of SSANU National Executive led by the National President, Com. Samson Ugwuoke (2nd Right), VP (West), Com. Alfred Jimoh (Right), Dep. National President (NLC), Com. Promise Adewusi (Left), Ag. Registrar, Mrs. Christiana Kuforiji extolling the exemplary virtues of UNAAB VC, Prof. Oluwafemi Balogun (Middle) via a black power salute.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Professor Oluwafemi Olaiya Balogun, has been described as an exceptional Chief Executive, who has outstandingly distinguished himself among peers.
The National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Comrade Samson Ugwuoke, led other Executive members, which included the immediate past President, Comrade Promise Adewusi, in showering encomium on the Vice-Chancellor, during a courtesy visit, recently.
The Executive members, who were in UNAAB for the 39th Quarterly Zonal Meeting of the Western Zonal Executive of the Association, took turn to extol the exemplary virtues of the Vice-Chancellor, particularly his contributions, which they described as invaluable, to the aspirations of SSANU at both local and national levels.
Comrade Samson Ugwuoke observed that it will not be out of place to send a message to the CVC (Committee of Vice-Chancellors), “to go to UNAAB and see what you are doing here”.
The President commended the Vice-Chancellor for his penchant for capacity development and also for the good vision of achieving the conventional status for the University, a situation he said would assist the nation in solving perennial University’s enrolment problem.
Comrade Ugwoke however enlisted the Vice-Chancellor’s support in the agitation by the Association to secure the Federal Government’s implementation of 65 years, as retirement age for Universities’ non-teaching staff.
In his remarks, the Association’s immediate past National President, Comrade Promise Adewusi, recounted the selflessly-painstaking efforts of Professor Balogun, which eventually culminated in the resolution of the four month-long SSANU/Federal Government Agreement’s impasse in 2009.
Comrade Adewusi said Professor Balogun’s initiatives in dousing the standoff, came at the most appropriate time, saying his intervention was able to bring the warring factions back to the dialogue table and eventually paved way for an amicable resolution.
Also, the Vice President (West), of the Association, Mr. Alfred Jimoh, observed that UNAAB was lucky to be endowed with the caliber of its incumbent Vice-Chancellor, whom he commended to be of an exceptional pedigree.
The Vice President observed that the combination of the quality mix of the integrity of the University Management with the professionally sound and dedicated workforce, must be responsible for the high rating of the institution by the National Universities Commission.
Commenting on the warm relationship between the University’s authorities and the local SSANU, Mr. Jimoh said, “As Union leaders, we don’t always have it lucky as UNAAB has it. It is the robust relationship with the Unions and the sterling leadership style that is responsible for the peace on campus”.
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Branch Chairman of SSANU, Comrade Abdulssobur Salaam, said staff Unions in the University “have been on holiday”, as a result of the proactive administrative attitude of the Vice-Chancellor.
Comrade Salaam expressed the Union’s appreciation to the Vice-Chancellor for facilitating the acquisition of the land for the building of the SSANU Secretariat, his unrelenting stance on exposing all cadres of staff to international training, commendable welfare attitude, among others.
The Branch Chairman applauded Professor Balogun for his attributes of equity, integrity and fairness, to which Comrade Promise, during his remarks later, added as a “a man of good conscience”.
Responding, Professor Balogun reiterated that his performance record as Vice-Chancellor had always been guided by the conviction that as an administrator, he should strive to humbly contribute his quota and be fair in administering over issues of diverse interests.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the executive and members of SSANU, for displaying high level of decorum, maturity and sound experience in approach to issues.
Professor Balogun, while congratulating the newly inaugurated national executive members of the Union, for successes at the polls, asked for their understanding that issues in contention between the Union and Federal Government, were beyond what individual Universities can take decisions on.