The management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, ATBU, Bauchi, has pledged to uphold financial prudence and fairness in tackling the institution’s challenges.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, gave the assurance on Wednesday when officials of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) paid him a solidarity visit in his office.

Garba, who expressed delight at the visit, said the university’s pride lies in seeing ATBU thrive in its mandate as a centre of academic excellence.

According to him, his administration inherited a huge debt profile but has successfully offset nearly one-third of the liability without resorting to fresh borrowing.

“When I assumed office, I met a huge amount of debt at the university. I have been able to settle nearly one-third of that loan in the last few months without incurring any fresh loan at all,” he said.

On welfare, the VC disclosed that five luxury buses had been refurbished to ease students’ transportation between the Gubi and Yelwa campuses, while a 32-seater bus was also being prepared to support staff mobility.

He added that six of the 11 grounded tractors owned by the university had been refurbished for the current farming season, with two more near completion.

The intervention, he explained, was to support staff and Bauchi community members farming on campus at subsidised rates—less than 30 per cent of commercial charges.

Garba also revealed that management was working to streamline promotion processes to eliminate delays in staff career progression.

Commending the university community for its support since his assumption of office, he assured that his administration would continue to run the institution with transparency and fairness.

Earlier, SSANU Chairman, Comrade Sulisma Jatau, praised the VC’s leadership style, particularly in financial discipline, staff and students’ welfare, and academic quality assurance.

He, however, described a recent media campaign against the VC as unfortunate, insisting that the university did not deserve negative publicity.

Similarly, NASU Chairman, Yusuf Yusuf, faulted reports linking the VC to a Federal Government decision on restructuring some faculties and courses, noting that the directive came from the Pro-Chancellor.

Both unions pledged their continued support for Garba’s administration.

DAILY POST recalls that a Bauchi-based group had accused the VC of misleading the Governing Council to shut down the Faculty of Management Sciences and some courses in the Faculty of Technology Education—a decision later clarified as a Federal Government directive.

We’ve cleared one-third of inherited debt without fresh loans’ -ATBU VC