Mat Leave may go up to Sixteen Weeks

If accepted, pregnant staff of Olabisi Onabanjo University will soon be enjoying sixteen weeks of maternity leave just like female staff in the service of Ogun State Civil Service and their counterparts in some Federal Universities.

This was part of the recommendations made by the Deputy Registrar, Establishments Division, Mr. Tunde Oluite Adekoya while recently delivering a lecture under the auspices of Association of Nigerian University Professional Administrators (ANUPA), for the staff in administrative and executive cadres of the University, at the former Senate Building, Main Campus of the University in Ago-Iwoye.

The Lecture entitled “Establishments Division in Olabisi Onabanjo University-  Functions and Responsibilities,” had the Registrar, Mr. Femi Ogunwomoju as the Chairman of the occasion.

Mr. Tunde Adekoya, a seasoned Administrator and former Registrar of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State revealed that “we got information that the Federal Government in 2018 approved that maternity leave should be sixteen weeks to give room for proper recuperation on the part of the mother and child.”  He added that “Ogun State Public Service and few Universities like Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and University of Ibadan have adopted the new policy.”

However, Mr. Adekoya admitted that this policy was not yet in place in Olabisi Onabanjo University.  According to him, “pensionable female staff who is confirmed to be pregnant and such confirmation endorsed by the University Health Centre shall be entitled to twelve weeks working days maternity leave, provided that such a staff has been in the service of the University for not less than six months and has not enjoyed annual leave for the year.”  He added that “no staff shall enjoy both annual leave and maternity leave within the same year.”
Mr. Adekoya explained that in a situation where a staff has already taken her annual leave before the granting of the maternity leave, that part of the annual leave earlier granted would be without pay.

Citing the University Conditions of Service, the Deputy Registrar, Establishments stated further that a staff who has put in less than one year into the service of the University could be granted maternity leave but it would be without pay.

According to him, “as a policy, a female staff who is nursing a child shall be granted two hours off duty everyday up to a maximum of six months to take care of the child.”

Among other recommendations made by the Deputy Registrar was the creation of a Unit in the Establishments Division that would be saddled with the responsibility of handling Labour Relations or Union matters.  He stated that, presently, the role was being handled by the University Management.  Adekoya, however, suggested that labour or union matters that were “not-too-critical” in nature could be ceded to the newly proposed Unit under the Establishments Division.

As part of his presentation, Mr. Tunde Adekoya discussed in details the traditional roles of the Establishments Division of the Registry.  He listed such roles to include staff recruitment, selection and placement; staff training and development; staff performance, evaluation/rewards; staff welfare and labour relations.

Other duties saddled with the Establishments Division mentioned by Mr. Adekoya were staff discipline, staff exit/retirement and staff references.

Also, the Deputy Registrar justified that the Establishments Division was a vital component of the Registry that has responsibilities for staff.  “It is indeed, the first and the last point of call for all staff, irrespective of their status,” said Mr. Adekoya.
Earlier on in his welcome address as the Chairman of the occasion, the Registrar, Mr. Femi Ogunwomoju welcomed participants to the venue.  He commended ANUPA for its initiative in organizing such lecture series which he said, would go a long way to prepare upcoming administrators in discharging their duties.  Mr. Ogunwomoju reiterated that the present administration under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ganiyu Olatunji Olatunde has made training and development a cardinal programme for all categories of staff in the University.  The Registrar said that on several occasions, staff in the Registry both Junior and Senior have enjoyed one form of sponsorship training or workshop within the country and sometimes outside the shores of Nigeria.

He, therefore, enjoined staff to take training and personal development serious whenever the opportunity comes their way.
According to Mr. Ogunwomoju, the Vice-Chancellor has assured him that the University will continue to place premium efforts on the training and development of all cadres of staff in the University.

The Registrar, therefore, thanked the Vice-Chancellor for given his approval for the lecture to hold, and indeed, for the necessary supports he has given to the Registry so far.
He advised the participants to pay attention to the lecture since any staff could found himself in the Establishments office, at any point in time.