PRE-DEGREE/CERTIFICATE REGISTRATION/SCHOOL FEES

MISREPRESENTATION OF UNIPORT VICE CHANCELLOR’S LEAVE STATUS

Despite a properly worded Press Statement which explicitly explained the status of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, it is highly regrettable that some sections of the media have chosen to distort the actual situation of things in order to fool unsuspecting members of the public.

The Federal Government’s directive authorising the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Ndowa E. S. Lale to proceed on a one-month Leave, preparatory to his disengagement from office neither made reference to his “suspension from office”, “compulsory leave” nor “sack” as was erroneously reported by some social media warriors.

The letter from the Federal Ministry of Education signed by the Permanent Secretary was titled: “NOTICE OF EXPIRATION OF TENURE AS VICE CHANCELLOR.” Similarly, the Registrar’s circular on the issue was titled: EXPIRATION OF THE TENURE OF THE VICE CHANCELLOR”, while the Press Release I issued bore the title: “OGALI TO OVERSEE THE UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT, AS LALE PROCEEDS ON LEAVE.” None of the three statements made reference to “suspension from office”, “compulsory leave” or “sack” as some professional anarchists have been misleading the public to believe. It is on record that the same mischief makers had hurriedly announced the appointment of an “Acting Vice Chancellor” for the University in cyberspace, even before the Federal Government made any official statement on the issue. With such fiasco, it was expected that the social media warriors and their sponsors would refrain from further heating up the system.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Federal Government explicitly and unambiguously directed the outgoing Vice Chancellor, Professor Ndowa E. S. Lale, to hand over the affairs of the University of Port Harcourt to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), pending the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor.

A letter to that effect dated 29^th May, 2020, which was signed on behalf of the Honourable Minister by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Architect Sonny Echono, authorised Professor Lale to hand over the affairs of the institution to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), who shall oversee the affairs of the institution until a substantive Vice Chancellor is appointed.

The Permanent Secretary, on behalf of the Honourable Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, wished Professor Lale well in his future endeavours following his successful tenure in office as the 8^th Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt.

It is important to state here that the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Professor Lale, is eagerly looking forward to proceeding on Leave which will commence on Friday, June 12 and end on Sunday, July 12, 2020; having assumed office on 13^th July, 2015. It is also on record that some of Professor Lale’s predecessors took their annual Leave as and when due, and nobody made any mountain of their absence. The only difference is that we are learning to adjust to ‘new normal’ times in this University.

It is, however, our hope that the University community, the media and the general public would take note of this further clarification and ignore the social media warriors and their known sponsors, who are hell-bent on misrepresenting the letter of expiration of tenure of the Vice Chancellor which was well articulated by the Federal Ministry of Education.

We also wish to state that no amount of distortion by sponsored Media Spin Doctors will alter the existential truth that Professor Ndowa E. S. Lale is proceeding on his well-earned statutory Leave, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the strange words: “compulsory”, “suspension” or “sack”, as his implacable enemies would have wished.  The irrevocable truth is that Professor Ndowa E. S. Lale successfully completed his five-year tenure as the eight Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt. No amount of manufactured propaganda can change this fact!

WILLIAMS WODI

Deputy Registrar

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