13th August, 2022
By Chukwuemeka Opara
Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali,the South East Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has been appointed by Governor Dave Umahi to head the governing council of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki and Board of the David Umahi University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Uburu.
Nwali, who has been Special Adviser on Religious and Welfare Matters to Umahi since 2015 is also the chairman of CAN in Ebonyi.
Speaking the inauguration on Thursday in Abakaliki, Umahi explained why he gave Nwali the dual appointment.
The Governor said the CAN chairman is an astute administrator who always delivered on tasks assigned him.
“I gave the vice chancellor of the state university the task of recommending someone to become the chairman of the governing council.
“He returned to tell me that Nwali was best suited for the job and when I called him (Nwali) over it, he accepted,” Umahi said.
He expressed optimism that Nwali would offer selfless service in making both institutions achieve their mandates and enhance overall efficiency.
“Nwali is not going to look for money to keep for his children or build houses.
“We offered him land and vehicles as an executive council member but he declined.
“Such is the type of man every society desires,” the governor said.
He also hoped that the management teams of both institutions would promote competence in the running of the institutions and check clannish tendencies.
“One cannot forgo people from his area in such situations but if an outsider can help us achieve our goal, we would support him.
“We would afterwards take accruing dividends to our people,” Umahi said.
He charged the appointees to maintain high standards in their various institutions.
He specifically admonished the university management to clamp down on cultism among students and lecturers.
Responding on behalf of others, Nwali thanked the governor for finding them suitable for the appointments.
He pledged that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
“We would promote research in the institutions because the absence of research presents recycling of knowledge.
“We would also ensure that grants and subventions are not recycled into salaries and unproductivity but to enhance resourcefulness,” the cleric said.
(NAN)