REWARD FOR PRODUCTIVITY
UNIZIK Staff Awards Gets Underway as Committee Presents Interim Report To Vice Chancellor
The Committee on Staff Awards of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, has presented an interim report on proposed categories and criteria for the University's staff awards to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie.
The delegation, led by the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Emeka Francis Ezeonu, paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor in his office, on Monday August 24, 2026.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Ezeonu recalled that the Committee was constituted by the Vice Chancellor on July 27, 2026, with the mandate to recommend appropriate categories of staff awards and develop criteria for selecting deserving recipients.
He explained that although the Committee had been engaged with examination-related activities, it considered it important to present an interim report within the one-month timeline given by the Vice Chancellor.
According to him, the proposed awards have been grouped into five major categories.
Category A: Academic Staff Awards — designed to recognise pedagogical innovation, academic mentorship and research impact.
Category B: Non-Academic (Administrative and Professional) Staff Awards — This category recognises the vital contributions of administrative, professional and support staff to the University's development.
Category C: Long Service and Loyalty Award — honours staff members who have demonstrated long service, loyalty and dedication to the University.
Category D: Junior Staff Awards — This category is intended to recognise outstanding junior staff, including those demonstrating excellent performance and exemplary courtesy.
Category E: Vice Chancellor's Special Recognition Award — This category is proposed to recognise exceptional productivity, commitment and institutional citizenship, with the final selection left to the discretion of the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Ezeonu said the Committee would proceed to develop the rubrics and scoring system after receiving the Vice Chancellor's observations and further directives.
Responding, Prof. Anyaehie commended the Committee for its efforts, describing the work done so far as impressive. He, however, emphasised the need for the Committee to carefully identify and apply appropriate determinants to ensure that the right individuals emerge for the various awards.
The Vice Chancellor cautioned that relying solely on general student opinions in selecting academic staff awardees could produce biased results. He noted that students might favour lecturers who were perceived as easy-going, including those who were less rigorous in teaching or assessment.
Prof. Anyaehie therefore advised the Committee to consider more objective approaches, including obtaining input from course representatives who are better positioned to assess lecturers based on their actual teaching performance.
According to him, relevant criteria could include lecturers' ability to complete their courses before examinations, create opportunities for interaction with students, and set examination questions that reflect what was taught in class.
On the proposed Graduate Research Supervision Award, Prof. Anyaehie urged the Committee to develop an appropriate and measurable method for selecting awardees. He suggested that the Committee could consider the quality and outcomes of supervised research, the number of publications arising from such research, the ranking of the journals in which the papers were published, and the extent to which such research contributes to the University's academic standing and ranking.
Prof. Anyaehie further urged the Committee to ensure that the final criteria would promote fairness, objectivity and excellence in the selection process.
Other members of the delegation were Prof. Veronica Ojukwu, Prof. Amaka Ukamaka Okeke, Prof. Jatex Obi, Mrs Ogonna Nwokeke, Dr Chidimma Chukwuwejim, and Mrs Chigozie Isabella and Mr Ekene Ezeumeanya , SAVC on New Media who is facilitating the project with sponsors.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the Committee to receive further guidance from the Vice Chancellor as it continues its work towards establishing a credible and transparent framework for recognising deserving staff members of the University.
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