Staff of the Department of Works and Physical Planning as well as the Medical Centre of the University of Lagos were hosts of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, FAS, on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.
Being part of ongoing familiarization visits to Faculties, Units and Centres/Institutes of the university, the Vice-Chancellor used the opportunity to harp on the need for capacity building and acquisition of entrepreneurial and contemporaneous life skills among the rank and file of staff members with a view to ensuring sustained relevance even after retirement from active government service.
Accompanied by other principal officers of the university, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola’s first port of call for the familiarization visit was the Service Area where she and her entourage were accorded a guarded tour of facilities from the Electrical sections to the Laboratory as well as the Water Production and Distribution Units.
Speaking at the Conference Room of the Works Department, Acting Director of Works, Engineer Johnson Akinwande took the Vice-Chancellor and the entire management through the activities, staff strength, successes and operational challenges of the Works department with a promise of unwavering commitment to the vision and mission of the Vice-Chancellor for the university.
In her response, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, FAS, harped on the importance of energy conservation and assured of her commitment towards making the campus community more conducive for all stakeholders.
While charging everyone connected to UNILAG on their roles in improving the aesthetics of the campus environment, the Vice-Chancellor highlighted efforts being made to reclaim the university’s landed properties wrongfully possessed. She also expressed concerns about aging infrastructures and assured of commitment towards achieving functional buildings which would stand the test of time.
Prof Ogunsola also advocated cooperation from all staff in ensuring the optimization of resources, acquisition of competencies as well as growth of networks which would serve as a lifeline in the nearest and distant future.
Speaking at the Medical Centre which was her second port of call for the familiarization visit, the Vice-Chancellor acknowledged the acute shortage of medical staff due to the current wave of massive relocation and expressed concerns over the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in the recruitment of new hands.
While commending all staff of the Medical Centre for their commitment to the wellbeing of the campus community, the Vice-Chancellor assured that all is being done to address identified critical needs of the university within lawful ambits and available resources, stressed the need for diversification, upgrading of skills for sustained relevance as well as urban agriculture as a strategy for food security.
Earlier in her address to welcome the Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers of the university to the Medical Centre, Director of Medical Services, Dr. Olayinka Coker gave a breakdown of activities, staff strength, successes, achievements, awards and operational challenges of the Medical Centre.
Dr. Coker, on behalf of all staff of the Medical Centre, assured of their commitment towards the realization of the Vice-Chancellor’s vision which is to build UNILAG into the most innovative and entrepreneurial university in Africa.
Staff members of the Department of Works and Physical Planning as well as the Medical Centre also took time to make gift presentations to the Vice-Chancellor as a token of appreciation and assurance of their goodwill and support for her vision as she sets motion in place to build UNILAG into a 21st Century institution by making the university Future-Ready and creating a Fit-for-Purpose workforce.
