VC deplores academic staff’s approach to SERVICOM

Varsity to evaluate operational complaints from new portals
Vice chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, has frowned at the way and manner academic staff in the country approach SERVICOM.

SERVICOM is an acronym derived from the words service compact. In this case, it is an agreement between the Federal Government, including all its organs and the Nigerian people.

Adamu made the observation recently, in his remarks at the Fourth Quarter 2016 NUC Parastatal Servicom Committee (PSC) Meeting, which held at the university’s headquarters in Abuja.

While bemoaning the way academic staff approach SERVICOM with disdain, he urged the NUC PSC participants to incorporate professors and doctors into SERVICOM.

He said there was the need for SERVICOM to devise a way of making the rules favourable to academic staff who, due to the nature of their work, could not be in office by 8am daily.

Adamu, who assured of the full implementation of NOUN’s Service Charter, and Complaints Policy, said by the ongoing trailblazing efforts, the university “is more SERVICOM than SERVICOM.”

The school helmsman disclosed that the institution will soon launch a new website where complaints, observations and suggestions would be lodged directly to him.

According to him, the aim of the initiative is to enforce service delivery between the university and its clients, as well as, amongst its staff for mutual progress.

He said: “The website has two sections and one of the sections will provide an opportunity for our staff to interact with the vice chancellor on any complaint. And if we receive a number of similar complain from other staff, we would take action on it.”

At the event, which drew participants from 40 federal universities, Adamu added that the new portal would be used to evaluate complaints regarding operations of NOUN’s 77 study centres nationwide, lecturers’ attitudes to their calling, state of infrastructure and any other thing.

Acting National Coordinator of SERVICOM in the Presidency, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemele, launched the NOUN Service Charter and decorated the Adamu and other principal officers of the school with the SERVICOM badge.

The NUC PSC was inaugurated in 2012 and has 40 federal universities as members. It is making efforts to bring on board state and private universities.