𝐕𝐂 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐀𝐓…𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌

The vice chancellor of the University of Africa Toru-orua Prof. Solomon Tamarabrakemi Ebobrah, has officially welcomed newly employed staff to the University of Africa family. He gave the official welcome on Monday 28th April, 2025 during a Three-Day Intensive Orientation Programme for the newly recruited staff held at the Bolou-Orua Campus of the University. He drew the attention of the newly recruited staff to the name of the University which is ‘University of Africa, Toru-Orua and not ‘african university’ as some would say, while also adding that the university is fully sponsored and owned by the Bayelsa state government.

The VC admonished the staff that at UAT they have no option but to work hard because at UAT, it is not business as usual as everyone must be committed towards building a responsible citizenry through creative hard work and excellence. He informed that the management of the University has zero tolerance for corruption while hoping that with their spirit of diligence and resilience displayed throughout the recruitment process, management expects nothing less than excellent performance from them. He also informed that promotion at UAT is not an entitlement but earned and as such, they must work hard to earn it. He further stressed that at UAT we create the right environment for people to self-actualize while laying emphasis on the fact that we are all at UAT primarily because of the students and as such the student’s growth and development must be paramount in all they do thus they must treat others the way they wat to e treated be it students, or colleagues. In addition, he said that the non-teaching staff represent the studentship experience of any student, thus they must ensure that students get the services they paid for on time.

Prof. Ebobrah further took time to interpret the Mission, Vision and Core values of the university which should guide the new staff on the part the university is towing which is building a culture of creative hard work, excellence and responsible citizenship.

In a similar vein, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Barclays Foubiri Ayakoroma admonished the new staff to pay attention to grant seeking through their contacts, while congratulating them, he added that the opportunity given to them to improve themselves must be taken seriously. He further urged them to subscribe to the monthly newsletter and interact with the university’s website and social media handles noting that ‘if we don’t tell our stories no one will tell them for us’. He noted that while there are challenges, management is doing all it can to ensure some kind of comfort is provided for them.

The Registrar of the University, Dr. Akpoebi Adesi also delved into the history of UAT, the law setting up the university and the members of council and the various principal officers that have passed through the system and the major organs that make up the University in addition to the statutory committees of the university.

Similarly, the Bursar, Dr. Ayekurobotaregha Umbe and the University Librarian Dr. Evelyn OyinkepreyeSawyerr-Geoge also took turns to talk about the financial regulations of the university and the importance of the use of theUniversity Library.

Deans of various faculties were also on ground to educate the new staff of their programmes and the organs of the faculties.

The indebt orientation programme bordered on Workplace Ethics (student and staff relationship), Teamwork, Communication and Conflict Resolution, Roles and Responsibilities of Staff in University Development, The Concepts of Teaching and Learning, Roles of Non-Teaching Staff, Curriculum Design, Designing of Marking Schemes, and other topics bordering on university education.

Resource persons for the training orientation programmes in addition to the principal officers were drawn from both within and outside the university such as the Registrar of the Niger Delta University, Mr. Emmanuel Joffa, Prof. Meeting Andawei, Dr. Rodger Obubor, Dr. Nancy Nwosu, Dr. Chinelo Oribabhor, Barr. SeiyifaAngalabiri-Ezeani, Mr. MirikiSogbara and Mrs. Faith Aforka all took turns to deliver lectures to the new staff.