By Onyekachukwu Agu

In 2021, the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, had over one hundred new staff in their employment. 

The number did not only add to the wealth of staff in the institution but has also upgraded the productive output. The staff didn’t only integrate into the system but they are part of the core wheels that have continued to reshape the fortunes of ESUT.

Speaking in an exclusive interview in his office in Enugu, the man under whose administration the appointments of over 120 staff into various programmes, Professor Charles Eze, explained the rationale the management approved the intake of such number of new staff adding that the need for more hands in some departments particularly as a prerequisite for accreditation made the recruitment inevitable.  

“When we came on board, we met a situation where in many departments, we had shortage of staff both in academic and some administrative positions. It came about at a time we needed to do accreditations in many programmes. One of the prerequisites for passing accreditation is that you must have the right calibre of academic staff and other supporting staff in the right numbers. Without these requirements, you are likely to fail the accreditation.

“There are procedures for employment, so we applied and got the approval of the Council to employ the calibre of staff we needed to put in place in those programmes that were due for accreditation. Council graciously gave her kind approval and we went about the employment.

“We employed not less than a hundred and twenty staff, both academic and non-teaching. As I speak, those people we employed are doing excellently well in the various departments. In terms of staff welfare, they were well paid as and when due,” Professor Eze explained.