By Tony Okafor, Awka
The Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining peace and security within the university community, describing security as a fundamental requirement for academic excellence and institutional growth.
Prof. Anyaehie gave the assurance on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) Nigeria, which paid him a courtesy visit at his office.
The visit was aimed at exploring areas of collaboration to promote peace, prevent violence and enhance security within the university and other tertiary institutions in the South-East.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that preventive security measures remain the most effective approach to sustaining peace on campus, stressing that his administration would continue to ensure a conducive and violence-free environment for learning, teaching and research.
He assured the delegation of UNIZIK’s support for WAANSA Nigeria’s objectives of promoting peace and orderliness across tertiary institutions in the region.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Regional First Vice-President of WAANSA Nigeria, Mr. Martin Igwe, congratulated Prof. Anyaehie on his appointment as Vice-Chancellor.
He explained that WAANSA Nigeria is a network of non-governmental organisations operating across West Africa with a mandate to sustain peace, eliminate pockets of violence and curb the illegal proliferation of small arms.
Mr. Igwe disclosed that the organisation is currently liaising with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors to identify and address security threats within university communities that could disrupt academic activities.
He said the visit to UNIZIK was part of efforts to seek institutional support and collaboration in complementing existing measures to prevent violence and insecurity on campuses.
He commended the university management for its openness to partnership, expressing optimism that collaborative efforts would further strengthen peace-building initiatives within UNIZIK and beyond.
Also present during the visit were the Director of Programmes of WAANSA Nigeria, Mr. Chidi George-Okoli, and the Administrative Secretary, Ms. Diane Lawrence.
