Vice-Chancellor's Workers Day Message to Unijos Staff

UNIVERSITY OF JOS

OFFICE OF THE VICE-CHANCELLOR

VICE-CHANCELLOR’S WORKERS DAY MESSAGE

Happy International Labour /Workers’ Day!

It gives me a great sense of honour and pleasure, on behalf of the Governing Council, Senate and Management of the University of Jos, to felicitate with you our esteemed members of staff on this day. You are our dependable workforce, the engine room through which we are able to execute action plans that culminate into making UNIJOS one of the best in this clime.

As a focal point of our stewardship and administration, we have always maintained that we will prioritize the welfare of our members of staff and the University Community as a whole. It is based on this that we are not resting on our oars with a view to ensuring that we do all within our means to ensure that the welfare matters of our esteemed members of staff receive rapt attention.

We are indeed mindful of the fact that without a virile and committed workforce, we are unable to achieve anything. That we have so many areas where we have thus far recorded remarkable success is testament to the fact that we are truly comrades-in-arms.

Dear members of staff and the UNIJOS Community, you will recall, during my second year anniversary celebration, we had stated that we would institutionalize the Vice-Chancellor’s Annual Award for the best performing members of our community during the year. You will equally recall that we had chosen to utilize workers’ day to celebrate those who are deserving.

This year, however, we have chosen to shift the date for the recognition. We are doing so when UNIJOS celebrates her 50th Anniversary sometime in September 2025. In this regard, we enjoin you, as always, to be a part of this great feat. In a short while, committees will be constituted to commence work on the celebrations and it would coincide with the combined convocation ceremony.

In the same light, you must have been informed of the shift in date of the commencement of the NUGA competition. The NUGA Council had granted approval that the competition should commence from Wednesday, November 5, 2025.  We once again call on all our esteemed members of staff to be a part of this epoch-making event. Just like the former, we shall very soon constitute subcommittees that will make adequate preparations to ensure that the sports festival is successfully hosted by UNIJOS.

As we mark this year’s workers’ day, we wish to once again emphasize our commitment to our members that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure that their welfare is prioritized. We will do all within our purview to do so. We will also work in collaboration with the various staff unions to ensure that the above is achieved.

Dear colleagues, let us use this medium to commiserate with the family members of our deceased staff and also our staff who are bereaved. We have recorded quite a number of deaths thus far; these may have dampened our collective mood and caused much grief. As we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of the departed, may the bereaved find solace and comfort in the Lord, and may the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace, Amen.

We also want to reach out to members who are infirmed both in body and spirit and those who have suffered any type of tragedies or mishaps. We are with you as a family. We hope to institutionalize an internal support mechanism that would be of assistance and/or help to anyone desirous of such support. 

To conclude, we must once again commend your efforts, zeal and enthusiasm towards performance of your duties despite the very difficult environment in which we operate. The high level of professionalism and commitment most of you put in are recognized and highly acknowledged. We want to use this opportunity to caution the very few who have decided to stray away from the established norms to desist from such. It is never our desire to mete out any disciplinary action against anyone. But the fact remains, those who contravene risk being subjected to the extant disciplinary measures.

Whilst thanking you once again, we have always remained grateful and indebted to you all for making our work easier. We shall reciprocate this gesture by ensuring that your welfare is always made a matter of the utmost priority.

Have a Great and Happy Workers’ Day and God Bless you all.

Thank you.

Signed

Professor Tanko Ishaya PhD, FBCS, FNCS

Vice-Chancellor