Nation
Chancellor Urges UNN Graduates, Awardees To Be Good Ambassadors
His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife and Chancellor, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has urged graduates and those conferred with honorary degrees to be good ambassadors of the institution.
The Ooni said this in Nsukka on Saturday, during the 51st Convocation Ceremony of the UNN for the award of Postgraduate degrees, Diplomas and conferment of honorary degrees.
He urged them not to relent as the ambassadors of the university in sustaining the good reputations the university had earned over the years.
“I urge all the graduates and honorary awardees never to relent in being good ambassadors of this great university wherever they found themselves.
“UNN as the first university in the country, our graduates are expected to live up to our name and reputation in restoring the dignity of man.
“To the honorary awardees, the recognition given to you today by the university should spur you to greater heights to do more to the university as well as render more selfless service to humanity”, he said.
The Chancellor urged Nigerians to see the task of uniting the country as everybody’s responsibility.
“It worries me and other patriotic Nigerians that our country can be said to be less united as it was at independence.
“From recent developments across the country, I wish to remind us that we are failing in our attempt to build a truly united nation.
“As graduates we are proud to have been in a school like this where you have classmates, roommates, and friends from different parts of the country and the world.
“You have a duty to teach others that we are the same people irrespective of the tiny differences in our culture, religious or mother tongue”, he said
He commended Prof. Charles Igwe, the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the UNN, and the management for their commitment and dedication in ensuring that they sustained the dreams and visions of the founding fathers of the university and urged them to keep it up.
Speaking, Igwe said this convocation ceremony was dedicated to the award of Postgraduate degrees and honorary degrees, which, according to him, marked the grand finale of the 51st convocation ceremony of the institution.
“Some 1,548 postgraduate degrees and Diplomas were awarded at the convocation.
“This is made up of 519 degrees, 934 Master’s degrees and 95 Postgraduate diplomas.
“I congratulate the graduates for earning the postgraduate degree or diploma of this great university, which have elevated you to the elite club of alumni who hold a postgraduate qualification of the University. It is an achievement that you should be proud of”, he said.
The VC, who used the ceremony to share some of the recent developments at the University, noted that the institution had remained competitive and had continued to re-invent itself in spite of the challenges of inadequate and ageing infrastructures facing the first generation university.
“We have continued to strive to retain the reputation of excellence for which we have been known over years. Our staff have been quite productive, not only in teaching, research and innovation, but also in community service.
“Our university is also a beneficiary of a good number of projects from capital allocation, NEEDS assessment and TETFund intervention.
“In spite of all these, UNN is in dire need of support from friends and alumni as the university is worse hit by the prevailing economic conditions in the country,” he said.
According to the VC, the Doctor of Public Administration degree would be conferred on Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, former Inspector General of Police, while Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, would be awarded the Doctor of Business Administration degree
Igwe also said that Prof Virginia Dike, Prof. Eunice Okeke of the Faculty of Education, Prof. Martin Aghaji of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Prof. Daniel Obikeze, Prof. Azuka Dike, Prof. Timothy Nwala, and Prof Emmanuel Chinwokwu of the Faculty of The Social Sciences were elevated to the status of Professor Emeritus of UNN.
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).