Senior officials at the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences have moved to quell growing speculation about an Institutional crisis, with the Pro Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, and Federal Ministry of Education representative all rejecting claims of an administrative rift as false and without foundation.
Barrister Adebayo Shittu, Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Ebonyi State institution, addressed journalists on Wednesday, describing allegations of a breakdown between the council and the University management as misleading. He also firmly rejected claims that he had been sidelined in the affairs of the university. "I have no complaint against anybody, and nobody has sidelined me," he said, adding that his decades of experience in public service made such a situation unlikely. He urged the media to disregard what he described as attempts by unnamed individuals to create unnecessary tension around the institution.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Jesse Uneke, reinforced the position, pointing to the physical presence of council members on campus as evidence that the governing body remained fully operational. "As you can see, the council is meeting. Any suggestion that it is not working is not correct," he said. Uneke described the University as stable both academically and administratively, attributing ongoing infrastructural development on campus to effective council oversight, and advised members of the public to verify information directly from the University rather than relying on unconfirmed reports.
A council member, Barrister Saliou Bamidele Aluko, dismissed allegations that the council had been hijacked, stating that it operates independently and conducts its meetings thoroughly and in line with established procedures. Paul Okpe, the Federal Ministry of Education representative on the council, also described the reports as unfounded, affirming that the council and management were working in harmony.
The University management maintained that the Institution remains open to scrutiny and encouraged all stakeholders to seek clarification through official channels rather than engage with unverified claims circulating in the media.
That multiple senior figures, spanning the governing council, University leadership, and federal government representation, felt compelled to speak in unison points to the seriousness with which the institution is treating the reputational threat, even as it insists there is no crisis to speak of.
