By Suleiman Abdulmumin
The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja (FULokoja), Prof. Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, has called on members of staff to prioritise healthy living, regular exercise and environmental responsibility, stressing that a healthy workforce is essential to building a stronger and more productive university community.
Prof. Ibileye made the call during the university’s monthly exercise, where he emphasised that the initiative is designed not only to promote physical fitness but also to foster friendship, unity and a stronger sense of community among staff.
The Vice Chancellor encouraged members of staff to engage in physical exercise at least once a week, while sustaining the monthly group workout as an important platform for promoting wellness and togetherness.
“I am the first beneficiary of this. It is not an act of goodness to you. It is an act of goodness even to myself,” he said.
He urged staff to relate with one another as friends, brothers and sisters rather than merely as colleagues, noting that peaceful and cordial relationships would strengthen the university and enhance productivity.
“This is showing community. It is showing oneness. It is showing the bond among us,” the VC said.
Prof. Ibileye also charged staff to take responsibility for keeping the university environment clean by properly disposing of waste and reviving the culture of picking up litter, regardless of who dropped it.
He further called for greater support for the university’s environmental sustainability efforts through tree planting, improved lawns and general campus beautification.
“With your cooperation, we’ll do it. We’ll plant trees, we’ll green our lawns,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor said the initiative was part of his vision of creating a welcoming and environmentally friendly campus befitting a 21st-century university, with the broader ambition of making the Federal University Lokoja the greenest university in Africa.
He commended senior academics, principal officers, other members of staff and the Director of Health Services for their participation and commitment to the monthly exercise, urging them to sustain the culture of healthy living, unity and environmental responsibility.