Published October 30, 2024
The Abia State government has begun implementing a new white paper aimed at reforming Abia State University, Uturu (ABSUU), following the release of a visitation panel report. The government has appointed Professor Ndukwe Okudo as the new Vice Chancellor, along with a fresh management team and governing council.
Key appointments include Rt. Hon. Agwu U. Agwu as Pro-Chancellor and Dr. Onwubiko Dike as a member of the governing council. The new leadership team also consists of two deputy vice chancellors, four senate members, and representatives from the congregation and the state Ministry of Tertiary Education, as well as a new bursar.
During a briefing at the Government House in Umuahia, Commissioner for Information Prince Okey Kanu emphasized that these changes signify a major shift in the university’s operations. He noted that the visitation panel was established to address various challenges within the institution and provide actionable solutions.
The new appointments will take effect from November 1, 2024. The white paper highlights that recommendations from previous visitation panels, covering 2000 to 2010, were largely ignored. Significant changes include reducing the Vice Chancellor’s approval limit on contracts from ₦50 million to ₦10 million, requiring the university’s budget to be presented to the governing council for approval before implementation, and initiating investigations into higher degree awards and the Vice Chancellor’s payroll status.
Kanu also addressed the implementation of the new minimum wage, stating that salary payments would no longer be made on the 28th of each month. He assured that workers would receive their new wages by the end of October, following recent negotiations with organized labor.
Looking ahead, Kanu confirmed that local government elections will proceed as scheduled on November 2, 2024. To facilitate participation, workers will have a half-day on November 1 to travel to their polling stations.
Additionally, a national health initiative, “Ten Million – Know Your Number,” aimed at screening for diabetes and hypertension, launched in Abia State on October 28, with the program running until November 5, 2024. The state government has rehabilitated the old Nnamdi Azikiwe Secretariat, which will be commissioned in two weeks.
The Abia State government will also participate in the upcoming burial ceremonies for two prominent Igbo figures, Chief Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, with an interdenominational service planned in honor of Onu on November 7, 2024.
