UNIZIK Safety Department Honours Former Chief Safety Officers, Others

As VC reiterates commitment to staff and students’ welfare

UNIZIK Safety Department Honours Former Chief Safety Officers, Others

As VC reiterates commitment to staff and students’ welfare

The Safety Welfare Association of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has honoured former Chief Safety Officers of the University and presented awards to deserving staff and friends of the Safety Department in recognition of their contributions to campus security and the development of the institution.

The event featured a lecture titled “From Sporadic Reactions to Rapid Response,” delivered by the Director of the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies, UNIZIK, Prof. Jaja C. I. Nwanegbo.

Speaking on behalf of the Chairman of the Occasion, Chief Dr. Nnamdi Kizito Onunkwo, Ambassador Obinna Obadike commended the organisers for recognising the contributions of former officers and other deserving individuals.

He described safety as a fundamental pillar of institutional development, noting that the protection of lives and property was essential to creating an enabling environment for teaching, learning, research and innovation. He urged the department to sustain professionalism, staff welfare, continuous training and collaboration. He also encouraged serving personnel to learn from the experience of former officers, noting that their contributions had helped establish a lasting legacy within the department.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Anyaehie, the Director, Information and Public Relations (University PRO), Comrade Aloysius Emeka  Attah, commended the Safety Welfare Association and the Safety Department for recognising the contributions of former Chief Safety Officers. He conveyed the Vice-Chancellor's appreciation for their meritorious service and reaffirmed the administration's commitment to staff and student welfare.

Attah described security as fundamental to achieving the University's vision of “A Greater UNIZIK is Possible,” noting that a safe environment was essential for teaching, learning, research and institutional development. He called for collaboration among university units to strengthen campus security.

He further emphasised that the achievement of a greater UNIZIK requires the collective commitment of all members of the University community, with the Safety Department playing a vital role in creating a secure environment for academic and administrative activities. He expressed optimism that sustained collaboration and support for the department would strengthen its capacity to discharge its responsibilities effectively empahasising that that with 11 months in the administration so far, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Anyaehie has left no one in doubt of his commitment to a greater and better UNIZIK.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Safety Welfare Association, Mr. Onyeka Chinedu, commended the former Chief Safety Officers for their contributions to maintaining peace, combating cultism and crime, mentoring younger personnel and building relationships with other security agencies.

He highlighted the department's operational challenges, including inadequate personnel, limited logistics and insufficient equipment. He appealed for an operational Hilux vehicle, a shuttle bus for the association, regular personnel training, communication gadgets and a functional CCTV control room to improve security operations.

In his lecture, Prof. Nwanegbo stressed the need for the University to transition from sporadic security reactions to a coordinated and strategic rapid-response system.

He identified inadequate personnel, insufficient funding, poor mobility and limited equipment as major challenges affecting effective security operations. He noted that the University had four campuses in Awka, Agulu, Ifite-Ogwari and Nnewi, spread across four local government areas, making strategic planning and adequate resource allocation essential.

The lecturer explained that institutional security encompassed the protection of lives, physical infrastructure, records, intellectual property and the University's reputation. He advocated the establishment of an active, Vice-Chancellor-led security committee, improved funding and equipment, the rehabilitation of perimeter fences and main gates, and enhanced mobility for response teams.

He also recommended stronger collaboration between the Safety Department and the University's Management Information and Communication Technology Unit (MICTU), the installation of CCTV cameras, recruitment of additional younger personnel, improved staff motivation and security awareness programmes for staff and students. He emphasised that proactive planning and adequate resources were essential to reducing security risks and losses.

Former Chief Safety Officers, Chief Ken Chukwurah and Dr. Lawrence Okeke, were given awards in recognition of their service to the University. Other award recipients included a member of the University Governing Council, Engr Iyke Onwuemene, Chairman of NASU UNIZIK, Comrade Chukwugozie Ikegulu,   Chief Dr Nnamdi Kizito Onukwo, Amb Obinna Obadike, Dr. Chidi Anagor, Nze Nonso Ihezie, Izuchukwu Francis Ife, Ozo Samuel Nwofo, Obi Gibson Nwosu, Prof. Oby Lilian Orogbu, Amb. Meshack Ikechukwu, Deputy Registrar II in the office of the Public Relations Unit and the newly appointed University Deputy Orator, Chief Bonny Ozo Nwkuaku, Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Njelita Louis O., Prof. Steve Ufoaroh Barr. Obinna Henry Ogugua, Ozo Okechukwu Ndigwe, Akonam Austin Ogbonna and Dr. Okonkwo Kizito .