Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, Ebonyi State, Adebayo Shittu, has dismissed reports of an administrative rift in the institution, describing them as false and misleading.
Shittu stated this in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing Governing Council meeting of the institution on Wednesday.
He was reacting to a report by an online medium alleging that the council is being sidelined by the management.
Shittu, a former Minister of Communications, said there was no disagreement between the Governing Council and the management.
He stressed that the institution remains stable and focused on its academic mandate.
The former minister also refuted claims that he had been sidelined in the university’s affairs, insisting that such assertions were baseless.
“I have no complaint against anybody and nobody has sidelined me,” he said, adding that his decades of experience in public service make such a situation unlikely.
The Pro-Chancellor noted that the university currently runs about 17 medical courses and maintains a stable academic environment, with academic and non-academic activities proceeding without disruption.
He urged the media and the public to disregard what he described as negative reports, alleging that they were orchestrated by unnamed individuals seeking to create unnecessary tension within the institution.
Corroborating his position, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Jesse Uneke, said members of the Governing Council were on campus for their statutory meeting, contrary to insinuations that the council was not functioning.
“As you can see, the council is meeting. Any suggestion that it is not working is not correct,” Uneke said.
He added that the university remains stable both academically and administratively, attributing ongoing infrastructural development to effective oversight by the council.
The Vice-Chancellor advised the public to verify information directly from the university rather than relying on unverified reports.
Also speaking, a member of the Governing Council, Saliou Bamideli Aluko, described claims that the council had been hijacked as untrue, maintaining that it operates independently and in line with established procedures.
A representative of the Federal Ministry of Education on the council, Paul Okpe, also dismissed the reports as unfounded, noting that the council and management were working in harmony.
The university management reiterated its openness to scrutiny and encouraged stakeholders to seek clarification through official channels.
