Vice Chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Professor Ibrahim Hassan Garba, has commended members of the university community for their unwavering support to his administration since assuming office last year.
Prof. Garba gave the commendation when leaders of the two major non-teaching staff unions, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), paid him separate solidarity visits in his office.
Chairman of SSANU, Comrade Sulisma Dauda Jatau, praised the Vice Chancellor’s leadership style, particularly his commitment to financial prudence, staff and student welfare, and academic quality assurance.
He described a recent wave of negative media reports against the VC as “highly regrettable” and damaging to the university’s image.
Similarly, the NASU Chairman, Comrade Yusuf D. Yusuf, expressed dismay over what he termed “misguided media publicity” that wrongly linked Prof. Garba to a Federal Government policy decision.
He assured that NASU would continue to rally behind the VC in his efforts to address the institution’s challenges.
In his response, the Vice Chancellor expressed gratitude for the solidarity, pledging to remain focused on repositioning ATBU as a “revered citadel of learning.”
He disclosed that his administration had reduced the university’s inherited debt burden by one-third without incurring new loans.
Highlighting key achievements, Prof. Garba revealed that five university buses have been refurbished for student shuttle services, with a 32-seater bus almost ready for staff use.
He also disclosed that six out of eleven grounded tractors had been restored for farming activities on campus, offering staff and community members subsidised access at less than 30 percent of commercial rates.
On staff development, he said the management has proposed a seamless promotion process to end delays in implementing promotions.
Recall that a Bauchi-based group accused the VC of masterminding the closure of the Faculty of Management Sciences and some courses in the Faculty of Technology Education, a decision later clarified as originating from the Federal Government.
