… says VC demonstrates pragmatic leadership by bringing back power to the UNIBEN

As students of University of Benin (UNIBEN) resume academic activities after about a month of forced vacation due to protest sparked by lack of electricity supply on the campus, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lilian Salami has been commended.

This view was expressed via a press release made available to journalists in Abuja, on Friday, August 9, 2024, by a prominent conflict resolution expert, Igbotako Nowinta.

Igbotako Nowinta, who doubles as the the Executive Director, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre, said Prof. Lilian Salami “has demonstrated sensitive pragmatic leadership, behaved as a proactive administrator, by ensuring the resumption of academic activities and bringing power back to the citadel of learning”.

According to the details of the press release: “Given what we have seen displayed by some Vice – Chancellors in Nigeria, who have had to wait cluelessly and endlessly in resolving conflict situations in their domains; where students were unduly made to under go excruciating months at home, Nigeria Good Governance Research Centre, uses this medium to commend the Vice – Chancellor, University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor Lilian Salami for asking the students to resume school.

“The Vice-Chancellor has demonstrated sensitive pragmatic leadership, behaved as a proactive administrator, by ensuring the resumption of academic activities and bringing power back to the citadel of learning.

“Looking at the issue of epileptic generation and distribution of electricity in our clime, a sad situation where power generating companies have failed woefully to meet up with the demands of customers across the country; even with incessant crazy unimaginable bills being dished out to helpless individuals and corporate institutions, what Prof. Salami has done is a manifestation of excellent synergy with relevant stakeholders in the power sector, exploration of positive dispute resolution mechanism and triumph of common interests and responsibility.

“What we have seen is the evidence of a Vice-Chancellor using every tool in her arsenal of administrative governance, to turn around the scale of progress and development on the campuses of University of Benin”.