EKSU promotes 70 to professors

The management of Ekiti State University Ado Ekiti (EKSU), on Thursday, said it has approved the promotion of 70 academic staff drawn from various departments and faculties to the rank of professors, just as it approved 60 others as associate professors.

The Vice Chancellor of EKSU, Professor Edward Olanipekun, who disclosed this to newsmen at an interactive session at the university campus in Ado Ekiti, also said that the semester examination scheduled to begin on August 12 has been postponed to August 19 due to some unforeseen circumstances.

Olanipekun said that the 70 professors were promoted on merit after following the laid down procedures for such promotion, adding that their promotions have been approved by the Senate of the university.

He said, “To God be the glory, we promoted 70 academic staff to the rank of Professor, and they cut across all departments and faculties. We equally promoted 60 to the position of readers, which is equivalent to Associate Professor. The council has approved all the promotions. What can interest you gentlemen is that in the Faculty of Law, we now have seven professors from two.”

Speaking on the postponement of the examination, the VC said: “Examinations will now commence on 19th August as against the earlier scheduled date of 12th August. That decision was taken in view of unforeseen circumstances which affected the calendar.

“The one-week extension will allow the students to have adequate time to prepare for their exams so that they can do well. We just made the decision 10 minutes ago. We have an understanding with our students, and as you are aware, we have new student union leaders.

“We pleaded with them that they should go about their normal academic activities, which they took in good faith. We have been in constant communication, and the outcome is the one-week extension of their exams between the management and the student union leaders.”

Prof. Olanipekun disclosed that the university is set to admit students into Dr. of Pharmacy, saying that the management is only awaiting the nod from the National University Commission (NUC) and the other professional regulatory body.

“We are in the process of commencing new programmes in the university, and one of such programmes is Doctor of Pharmacy. We are expecting the result of the visitation panels both from NUC as well as the professional regulatory agency. We are optimistic that the report will be positive, and if the outcome is positive, that means we will be admitting students into the programmes of Dr. of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Dental Surgery.”