NEWS
Education Ministry Directs Immediate Reinstatement of FUHSO VC
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
The Federal Ministry of Education on Sunday ordered the immediate reinstatement of the pioneer Vice Chancellor, federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo (FUSHO), Prof. Innocent Ujah who was suspended by the Governing Council of the Federal University Otukpo.
This came on the heels of the recommendations made by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Ujah was on October 21 suspended by the University Governing Council over alleged gross misconduct and willful disregard to authority.
Professor Ediga Bede Agbo was immediately appointed as the acting Vice Chancellor of the university.
The statement noted that the meeting headed by the Pro Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of FUHSO, Ohieku Muhammed Salami, appointed Prof.
Agbo as acting Vice Chancellor of the university in error.The coordinator of information, publication and public relations of the university, James Onogwu, had announced the decision of the Governing Council on behalf of the Registrar, said the Pro Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council and Members suspended the pioneer Vice Chancellor.
However, in a letter signed by the Permanent Secretary ministry of education, Dr Nasir Sani Gwarzo, said the Ministry frowned at the deterioration of the relationship between the Council and the Vice Chancellor Prof. Ujah, which had led to the suspension.
The Ministry acknowledged that the suspension was carried out without adhering to the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 1993.
The Ministry further stated that both the Council and the Vice Chancellor were at fault in managing the affairs of the university and therefore, ordered the reinstatement of Professor Ujah to allow him to complete his tenure, which ends on November 6th, 2024.
The Council has also been directed to follow the proper procedures in appointing an Acting Vice Chancellor while the process of appointing a new substantive Vice-Chancellor is underway.
The letter entitled:” RE: SUSPENSION FROM OFFICE AS VICE-CHANCELLOR PROF. INNOCENT A.O. UJAH” reads in parts: “I write with respect to your letter to the Ministry dated 31st October 2024 with Ref: FUHSO/AO/01 conveying the report of the meeting of the 2nd Council of Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (FUHSO) held on 31st October 2024 on the above subject, following an earlier meeting of the Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council and the Vice Chancellor of FUHSO with the Ministry.
“The Ministry regrets the unfortunate deterioration of the official relationship between the 2nd Council of FUHSO with the suspended Vice Chancellor (Prof. Innocent A.O. Ujah) which conflict has stunted the smooth running of the University.
“The Ministry has considered the circumstances surrounding the suspension of the Vice Chancellor (Prof. Innocent A.O. Ujah) by the 2″ Council of FUHSO.
“The Ministry notes that the 2nd Council of FUHSO suspended the Vice Chancellor of the University in absentia at its meeting of 17th October 2024 on the ground of insubordination and other allegations and appointed in the stead of the suspended Vice Chancellor, an Acting Vice Chancellor without adhering to the extant Regulations and the mandatory provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 (as amended), especially section 3(13) thereof which requires that in the event of vacancy in the office of the Vice Chancellor the Council shall appoint an Acting Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of the Senate.
“Although it is within the statutory powers of the Council to suspend the Vice Chancellor, the Council is, however, bound to act within the confines of the law and extant rules/regulations.
“The Ministry notes further that both the Vice Chancellor and the 2nd Council of FUHSO were wrong in one way or the other in managing the affairs of FUHSO culminating in the suspension of the Vice Chancellor.
“This view is also supported by the letter of the National Universities Commission dated 25″ October 2024, which is herewith enclosed for ease of reference.
“In the light of the above, I am to request the 2nd Council of Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo to reinstate the suspended Vice-Chancellor (Prof. Innocent A.O. Ujah) to enable the Vice Chancellor to complete his tenure of office that Is due to elapse on 6th November 2024 to restore peace In the academic community of the University.
“1 further request that the 2nd Council of Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo should adhere strictly to the laid down procedure in the extant rules/regulations and law in appointing an Acting Vice Chancellor for the University, while the process of appointment of a new Substantive Vice Chancellor for the University is ongoing. Please accept the assurances of my highest regards,”
In a separate letter signed by the Acting Executive Secretary, Chris Maiyaki, after due review of the letters from both the Council and the affected Vice Chancellor, had recommended that; “The Vice-Chancellor should be allowed to remain in office until he attains the mandatory retirement age of 70 years a 6th November 2024 without prejudice to his 5-year tenure of office having failed to retire from service before accepting the tenured appointment.
The Commission also urged the Ministry to consider and approve that the University Governing Council should initiate the process for the appointment of an Acting Vice-Chancellor in line with Sections 13 (13) and Section 13 (14) of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993 (as amended)
The letter also dated 25th October 2024, recommended that the Governing Council should be guided by the need to ensure the neutrality of the person to be appointed Acting Vice-Chancellor and that such a candidate must preferably, be a staff of the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo and a leader figure, so as not to polarise the University community.
The FCT Customary Court, Dutse, Abuja has appealed to the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to facilitate the renovation of its court complex which fell victim to vandalism and arson during the 2020 EndSARS protests.The President of the Court, Aderinto Adesoji, made the appeal during a resumed hearing in a divorce case between a petitioner, Chiwendu Nwadi and her husband, Emeka Nwadi in Ushafa, Abuja.
The Customary Court, Dutse has been sharing the court complex of a sister court in Ushafa for its sittings following the destruction. of its facilities, four years back.NAN reports that while Customary Court, Ushafa, the real owner of the facility, has its sittings on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in a week, the Dutse court has its sittings on Tuesday and Thursday. Report says that Dutse and Ushafa are communities in Bwari Area Council of the FCT and they are about 17 kilometres apart.Addressing lawyers to the parties in the divorce case, when they were finding it difficult to agree on a date for next hearing in the matter, the President of the court said it is a recurrent challenge in matters before the courtAccording to him, the constraint of the panel, sitting only twice in a week has grossly affected quick dispensation of justice.He said most cases before the cout involve families, in particular, custody of children which require urgent adjudication, and should not be encumbered.Adesoji said, considering the fact that lawyers and their clients are affected by the constraints, the NBA should take steps to ensure that the appropriate authorities renovate the Dutse court complex.He said promises have been made by the association to that effect in the past, but they were yet to be actualised.Responding to the President’s appeal, Mr Moses Ibe, the lawyer to the petitioner promised the court that he would convey the message to the NBA, Bwari branch for necessary action.Ibe said this in an interview after the court session, that the distance of the court to its jurisdiction and the restrictive days of sittings have affected quick dispensation of justice.He said the essence of building the Dutse court was to bring justice closer to the people, but it has been defeated by the failure of appropriate authorities to renovate it for useThe Counsel promised to officially write to the NBA, Bwari branch to convey the Judge’s message and request for interventionAccording to Ibe, the Dutse court complex, used to serve as the Secretariat of the NBA Bwari branch, before it was vandalised and set ablaze by the EndSARS protesters.Meanwhile, the court has adjourned further hearing in the divorce petition until Oct. 21 to enable the respondent file his reply.Adesoji and other members of the panel, Nana Atipkoru, Aisha Hamza adjourned the case following the position of the respondent’s lawyer, Cornelius Simon, that his client was not served with the “particular of claims” in the petition.The panel directed that all necessary processes should be filed and served before the adjourned date so that the case would be fixed for definite hearing.The panel also ordered that the parties should maintain the status quo, particularly, as regards the custody of the children – the last child is with the petitioner, while the other two are in the custody of the respondent.In the case, the petitioner is seeking, among others, the dissolution of her 13 years marriage with her husband on the ground that “the union has broken down irretrievably”.She alleged that the husband, “is a man of unimaginable violence and cruelty, fetish, a serial wife beater and adulterer’The petitioner alleged that her husband deliberately poisoned her drink which led to losing her pregnancy.According to the petitioner, the union, consummated in 2011, under the native law and custom, as well as exchange of marital vows in a Church, has produced three children, ages, 12 years, 11 years and 2 years.She urged the court to dissolve the marriage, grant custody of the three children to her and restrain the husband from using thugs or any security agents to harass her. (NAN)
The Northern Youths Assembly has cautioned the National Assembly against passing the Tax Reforms Bill from the executive before the legislature.This is contained in an open letter to the lawmakers signed by the group’s President, Dr Ali Mohammed, and Secretary-General, Dr Garba Abduljafiz and made available to newsmen in Kano on Thursday.
The group said the bill, if passed into law, would not be in the interest of the people, particularly youths, urging for broader consultation on matters of that nature. The youths urged the National Assembly to concentrate on youth-friendly laws to safeguard the country’s future instead.“The youth are Nigeria’s future, “and our prosperity hinges on investments in education, skills development, and job creation.“As the largest political demography in the nation, youth must have a say in laws and policies that directly impact the country’s future.“We call for the creation of a special place at the centre, to allow the youths to contribute to solutions that may promote sustainable development, job creation, and economic empowerment,” the group said.The group urged the lawmakers to focus more on making laws that would improve investment climate and job creation.“We urge the National Assembly members to direct their resources and energy towards creating laws that would prioritise and encourage foreign investment.“The laws should encourage skills development and jobs creation for the teeming population of the youths, to improve measures that risk stifling the Nigerian economic opportunity.“We also urge them to stop complying with the dictates and advisory of the agents of destruction, IMF and World.“We must stay away from the trap of the IMF and World Bank, as they are all out to destroy our country through their ill-formulated policies and misleading advisory’’, the group said. (NAN)
The Defence Headquarters has confirmed the emergence of a new terrorists’ group known as ‘Lukarawas’ exacerbating insecurity in the North Western part of Nigeria.The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known while briefing newsmen on the operations of the military on Thursday in Abuja.
Buba said that the new terror group emerged from the Republic of Niger after the coup that led to the breakdown of military cooperation between Nigeria and Niger. He said that the terrorists began incursion into northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi States from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, particularly after the coup in Niger Republic.According to him, prior to the coup, there were joint border operations with Nigerien security forces which kept the terrorist at bay.“The terrorists took advantage of the gaps in cooperation between both countries and exploited difficult terrains to make incursions in remote areas in some North Western states to spread their ideology,” he said.Buba said that the group was accommodated by the locals who initially thought that the group meant well for them, adding that they failed to report the movement to the military and security agencies.He gave assurance that toops had sustained Imtelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to degrade the terrorists.He added that the terror group had continued to take advantage of the vast under-governed areas to hide and evade troops as well as harass the locals.According to him, troops are locating them and eliminating the threat. (NAN)
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