Digital Skills No Longer Optional for Registry Staff, FULafia Vice-Chancellor Says

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia (FULafia), Prof. Mohammed Isa Kida, wants Registry staff to treat digital tools and artificial intelligence as part of their everyday work. He made the call at a two-day training workshop for the department.

What the workshop covered

The Directorate of Staff Training and Development organised the programme for Registry personnel under the theme “Building a Digitally Competent Registry: Leveraging ICT and Artificial Intelligence for Administrative Excellence.” It mixed presentations with hands-on practical sessions, led by seven resource persons.

What university leaders told the staff

Prof. Kida was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Aleruchi Chuku. In his message, he said digital competence has become a necessity for effective administration, and he asked participants to apply what they learned to their daily duties to improve productivity and the university’s performance.

The Acting Director of the Directorate, Mrs Becky Kajo, described the Registry as the part of the university that keeps its administration running, and said staff need continuous professional development. The Registrar, Dr Nuradeen Abdul, also urged participants to take the training seriously, noting that the Registry is central to how smoothly the institution operates.

Why this matters beyond one workshop

In Nigerian universities, the Registry is the administrative arm, usually led by the Registrar. It typically handles student and staff records, admissions processing, official correspondence and certificates. When those processes are slow or paper-heavy, students feel it in delayed results, transcripts and clearance.

Digital record systems and AI-assisted tools, such as drafting letters or summarising documents, can cut turnaround time in work like this. The report did not say which specific tools FULafia staff will be expected to use, so it is too early to say what will change for students.

Accuracy and privacy will matter just as much as speed. Registries hold sensitive personal data, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 sets rules for how such data must be handled. Staff who adopt AI tools will need to use them carefully with student records.