AE-FUNAI VC Inaugurates Four Strategic Committees to Drive Purposeful and Ethical Leadership

The Vice-Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Professor Sunday Elom, has taken a decisive step towards repositioning the University for excellence, discipline and seamless service delivery with the inauguration of four strategic administrative committees.

The committees, inaugurated on Friday at the Vice-Chancellor’s Conference Room, include the Staff Disciplinary Committee, Students Disciplinary Committee, Transport Committee and Municipal Services Committee.

Professor Elom said the action is in line with his vision of building a new AE-FUNAI anchored on purposeful, ethical and people-centred leadership, where rules are respected, welfare is prioritised and excellence thrives.

The Vice-Chancellor decried the growing cases of indiscipline, truancy, absenteeism and lateness to work among some staff, as well as non-compliance with extant rules by some students, noting that such attitudes are antithetical to the ideals and culture of the University.

To address this, he directed immediate training and retraining of staff and comprehensive orientation of students, especially new intakes, to ensure full alignment with the University’s rules, regulations and core values.

He charged the two Disciplinary Committees to be firm, fair and just, emphasising that justice must be dispensed without fear or favour.

“Our commitment is to fairness. It is only the guilty that will be recommended for sanction, and strictly in accordance with the extant laws of the University. The era of truancy and laxity is over. We will conduct a staff audit to ensure every staff earns his or her pay,” the Vice-Chancellor stated.

On campus transportation, Professor Elom charged the Transport Committee to ensure all shuttle buses are roadworthy and that staff and students are conveyed with dignity and safety.

In a move to restore serenity, orderliness and security, he directed that commercial motorcycle operators (Okada) should no longer be allowed to operate within the campus, and instructed the committee to map out strategic, well-marked bus stops for shuttle buses across the University.

For the Municipal Services Committee, the Vice-Chancellor gave a clear mandate: ensure uninterrupted power and water supply, maintain internal roads, and enhance the overall aesthetics of the campus. He further encouraged the committee to explore partnerships with well-meaning and philanthropic individuals to accelerate infrastructural development.

Responding on behalf of the committees, the Chairman of the Staff Disciplinary Committee, Professor Ameh Dennis Akoh, commended the Vice-Chancellor for his reform-driven leadership and assured him of the committees’ total commitment.

“We pledge to abide by the laws of the University and to put the interest of AE-FUNAI above personal interest in the discharge of our responsibilities,” Professor Akoh said.

The chairmen of the other committees are Professor Smart Otu (Municipal Services Committee), Dr Romanus Nwaoma (Transport Committee) and Dr Oko Isu (Students Disciplinary Committee).

The inauguration of the committees underscores the commitment of the Professor Elom-led administration to entrench discipline, improve staff and students’ welfare, and build a new AE-FUNAI that is functional and responsive to the needs of its people.