By joshua Emerging Issues for Peace, Way forward and Update on the Alumni Association of PAAU
The social media space has it that Dr. Aruwa Atabo was elected President of the Alumni Association of Prince Abubakar Audu University on the 25 Sept 2026. In another development shortly after, Dr Aruwa Atabo was reported to have been suspended for abused of office.
It could be recalled that on assumption of office as the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Salisu Ogbo inaugurated a 9-man committee to resolved the lingering crisis of the alumni that has out-lived 4 Vice Chancellors.
The committee ‘tagged Reconciliation Committee’ after much interraction with aggrieved members, stakeholders and the University community made recommendations in a report submitted to the Vice Chancellor for implementation.
Upon this submission, the Vice Chancellor charged the committee to implementation the recommendations therein.
On the 4th of July 2026, the committee invited some of her members to a stakeholders engagement at Idrinana Hotel Lokoja for dialogue on way forward; in the stakeholders meeting, it was resolved that a Congress should be organised to produce electoral committee for election of new Executives.
Rather than follow this process to the latter, Dr Aruwa Atabo and few others went ahead to organise election and declared winners for various offices, this is where Dr. Aries Arabo was purportedly declared to have been elected as President.
This development was considered uncharitable considering that effort has been put in place to resolve existing crises and reconciliation is on going.
Dr. Aruwa was said to have mislead some members of the association; especially on his claim that he has the support of the vice chancellor; on the contrary when the news of Dr Aruwa interest in the President of the Association emerged, the Vice Chancellor was said to have called him to forget the idea on the ground that his is the deputy director advancement and linkage in the university, an office overseeing the Alumni affairs (to avoid conflict of interest) but he disobeyed his boss. Thus, after the election, his emergence developed k-legs, all odds where against him; pressure bothering on insubordination mounted on him. Petitions against him were written and submitted to the University Management and relevant security agencies for investigation.
Others members mislead by his ambition quickly visited the Vice Chancellor and the Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee to tender apology and surrender their souls.
Dr. Aruwa’ s ambition obviously was taller than him, for people in situations like this their only option is to seek forgiveness and pledge support for the peace process, Dr. Aruwa and other members purportedly elected has been forgiven but asked to go and sin no more.
Now, the Alumni Association of Prince Abubakar Audu University Ayingba is set to conduct a valid election to usher in an Executives that will pilot her affairs.
Comrade Aliu Abraham Odiba
Concerned Alumni Member
26th Oct 2026