Administrative Roles of Vice-Chancellors and Deans of Faculties in Nigerian Universities for Curbing Corona Virus (Covid-19) Pandemic in Nigeria: Henry Fayol’s Approach

Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to the total lockdown of the most of the human activities in various parts of the world, Nigeria inclusive. The outbreak posse serious concern to global educational systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the outbreak of corona virus has caused a public health emergency of international concern. Effective control measures are therefore, necessary to prevent the virus from further spreading, especially in this second wave of this new strain of corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic and to assist control the epidemic situation. One of the effective control measures is the sudden and unscheduled total lockdown of schools at various levels of education, not only in Nigerian but all over the world. Hence, on march 19,2020, Nigerian government through the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), ordered the immediate closure of all schools at various levels, universities inclusive. Therefore, efforts to contain COVID-19 outbreak prompted the immediate sudden and unscheduled closure of Nigerian universities, which left all the university students out of school. It is therefore not arguably, that interference of corona virus pandemic has caused so many challenges on Nigerian university education. The University education, which the study is delimited is the apex of all educational system where the high manpower needs of any nation is produced for its all-round developments. Therefore, the Nigerian University students require proper attention and care. The Vice-Chancellors and Deans of the faculties who occupy administrative positions in Universities in Nigerian, need not only to teach these students but to create sound healthy school environment hospitable for teaching, learning and research. The sound healthy school environment is to prevent the spread of corona virus pandemic in the schools which in most likely to interfere with the teaching, learning and research processes in Nigerian Universities if allowed to spread. This study is designed to use Henry Fayol's approach to suggest how Vice-chancellors and Deans of the faculties should practically discharge their administrative roles in order to prevent Corona virus spread among the students and staff in Universities in Nigeria. This is expected to give an insight into healthy adaptive measures for both the students and staff in Universities in Nigeria. Finally, the following suggestions were made, which include: the various governing councils of Universities in Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal and state governments should provide preventive kits and other related health facilities in Universities to prevent the future spread of corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic in universities, provide infrastructures to make lecture halls' or classrooms' physical distancing possible, periodic fumigating of universities, wearing of nose and mouth masks, use of hand sanitizers, services of healthcare workers and creation of isolation centers in case of any health crises among others.