By Emeka Attah
Towards boosting security on campus, Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof Benard Odoh met with the University safety team on Thursday, November 7, 2024 to discuss the vital link between campus safety and academic progress.
Emphasizing the importance of a secure environment, the Vice Chancellor said that no meaningful development could take place on campus if the environment is not safe for members of the community to carry out their academic and administrative activities.
In a bid to strengthen campus security, Prof. Odoh announced a comprehensive initiative focused on training and retraining of the university’s safety personnel.
This programme, he noted, was meant to elevate the skills and efficiency of the security staff, ultimately repositioning the safety unit for better service delivery and reinforcing their role in fostering a secure, supportive academic environment.
This renewed commitment to safety and security underscores one of the Vice Chancellor’s key objectives to create a conducive learning space where academic and other activities can thrive without disruption.
It would be recalled that the Vice Chancellor while unveiling his “Disruptive Model” administrative blueprint last Tuesday addressed the issue of campus security and infrastructure.
Prof Odoh acknowledged the fact that the NAU campus faces significant security challenges which have impacted both the safety of the university community and the assets as well as the integrity of the university.
He said: “Over time, nearly all valuable assets on campus have been subject to vandalism and part of the perimeter fence that once safeguarded our grounds has collapsed. This security breach has led to severe risks for our students and staff, educational environment, and university facilities.
“In addition, critical infrastructure such as the 2MW solar farm, has been vandalized, limiting our capacity to provide reliable electricity and affecting operations and safety.”
The Vice-Chancellor said that to address those pressing issues, he would be implementing a multi-faceted security and infrastructure plan that would revitalize , reassure, restore safety on campus , and support his administration’s new vision.
“Some of the security strategies include the setting up of an emergency security response team, revitalization of the 2MW solar farm , installation of 6km internal street lighting and the construction of a perimeter ring road and fence reconstruction, “the VC concluded.
