See What We Have Achieved In 12 Months, Vice Chancellor Boasts

Everyone knows that the last 12 months have been trying for most universities in the country, especially with strikes and COVID-19, and a modest achievement could become a tall one.

It is probably because of this realisation that the vice-chancellor of the University of Benin, Professor Lillian Salami, is singing the praise of the leadership to high heavens.

“In the past 12 months when I came into office, Covid-19 has kept us indoors. In spite of that, this administration has continued to work on the pillars” the vice-chancellor began.

. “We have changed and developed infrastructure on ground in collaboration with different bodies and enterprises.

“We have tried to create a very strong Alumni association because we believe that most ivory towers that are found around the world are actually driven by initiative.

“The University of Benin is taken a yearning and amiable look. The reasons for this is that we have been synergizing with our Alumni that has been very generous to us.

“The resources have been very low. Payments by students account for 90 per cent of our IGR. So, what we have been doing is self-help.

“We have refused to give out contracts because we cannot afford contracts now, so have embarked on the use of direct labour to drive the system”

The Eagle reports that Salami, who was speaking ahead of the founders’ day anniversary of the university scheduled for Monday, November 23, the first indigenous female Vice-Chancellor, the second female Vice-Chancellor and the tenth substantive Vice-Chancellor of the University came on the saddle just last year.2019

Going down memory lane, she recalled how UNIBEN came into existence in 1970, and was then known as Bendel institute of technology before the federal government took over in 1971 and it became UNIBEN in 1973.

“Abinitio, the number of students was only 108 with a Staff strength of less than 20 then.

But, today, we have grown. Still counting, we have over 45,000 students and Staff strength of over 8000.

“There were two departments at that time. What we have now is over 15 Faculties, a College of Medicine, three Centres of Excellence and two or three institutions.

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“So, in terms of the growth of the University, we have grown up to about 200 to 300 per cent from where we started from: she said.