LAUTECH discourse: UI Registrar advocates digital transformation of university registries

The Registrar of the University of Ibadan, Mr. Ganiyu Saliu, has called for a fundamental transformation of university registries in Nigeria, urging them to move beyond traditional bureaucratic functions and become strategic drivers of institutional development.

Saliu made the call on Friday while delivering a lecture, titled ‘The Future-Ready University Registry: Leading Institutional Transformation in an Era of Change’, at the 12th Annual Registry Discourse of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.

He described the Registry as the “nerve centre” of the university, saying it must evolve from a paper-driven, reactive structure into a proactive, data-driven and innovation-focused institution.

According to him, Nigerian public universities are operating in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) environment characterised by dwindling subventions, infrastructural deficits, industrial disruptions and rising student enrolment without corresponding administrative capacity.

Saliu said the challenges presented an opportunity for registries to redefine their value and embrace technological and institutional changes. He criticised the continued dependence on paper-based processes, warning that the practice exposed institutional records to loss, fire, water damage and deterioration, while slowing document retrieval, transcript issuance, staff promotions and other administrative processes.

“Due to the sheer volume of daily exigencies, the Registry is often caught in a cycle of reactive firefighting rather than proactive strategic planning,” he said.

He said the Registry remained the official custodian of university records and institutional memory, covering the lifecycle of students and staff from admission and assumption of duty to graduation, alumni relations and retirement.

Saliu advocated a digital-first Registry built around Electronic Document Management Systems, integrated data, agile policy adaptation and stakeholder-centred service delivery. He said digital transformation required scalable systems, unified dashboards and end-to-end automation from admission to alumni relations.

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He urged Registry officers to develop digital fluency, data-analysis skills and unimpeachable integrity, stressing that data privacy was a “sacred, non-negotiable trust.”

He also called for continuous professional development, paperless initiatives, digitised workflows, quarterly training and the review of outdated standard operating procedures.

Saliu said Nigerian universities faced a battle for relevance, funding and global standing, insisting that the Registry must lead rather than react to change.

“In this battle, the Registry is not just a passive support system, we are the vanguard,” he declared.

In her welcome address, the host of the discourse, the LAUTECH Registrar, Mrs Olayinka Balogun, said the university’s uninterrupted schedule of activities and disruption-free academic calendar demonstrated its growing institutional stability.

Balogun, the sixth substantive registrar and first woman to occupy the position, described LAUTECH as a pacesetting institution and, in her assessment, the best state university in Nigeria.

“We can boast of our stability and say without fear of equivocation that our calendar is free of disruption,” she said.

She said rapid technological innovation, global interconnectedness and changing stakeholder expectations required universities to become more agile and responsive, adding that the Registry must become a “centre of institutional intelligence” capable of anticipating challenges and providing reliable information for decision-making.

In his remarks as the chairman of the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, said artificial intelligence could support document classification, information retrieval, data analysis, routine correspondence, scheduling and knowledge management.

He, however, warned that technology must remain a tool and not replace professional judgement.

“No digital platform can compensate for an unmotivated workforce. No software can replace integrity. No artificial intelligence can substitute for sound judgment, empathy and professional responsibility,” Kalilu said.

A highlight of the programme was the celebration of Professor Kalilu’s birthday, marked by the cutting of a birthday cake moulded in the shape of LAUTECH’s A.M. Salau Senate Building.

The discourse attracted LAUTECH principal officers, provosts, deans, directors, deputy registrars and other participants from universities across the country, both physically and virtually.