Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says he is familiar with the names put forward for the Fiji National University (FNU) board and indicated a strong likelihood they will be appointed once formal approval reaches his desk. Rabuka’s comments came as the government moves to resolve an apparent governance vacuum at the country’s main tertiary institution, where the previous council has been declared no longer functional.
“I believe they are all names that I have seen before and I was comfortable with and so the approval is a matter of when I get it,” Rabuka told reporters, confirming he had reviewed the proposed list. FBC News reports the present university council, which had been chaired by Semesa Karavaki, is no longer operational, a development that has left the institution without a functioning governing body while new appointments are considered.
Karavaki’s removal from the council followed his raising of complaints against FNU Vice-Chancellor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba. Rabuka confirmed that those complaints remain on record and said they will be dealt with, without providing further detail on the nature of the allegations or the process and timetable for resolving them. The prime minister’s remarks suggest the government intends to address leadership and governance issues at FNU in parallel — by both refreshing the council membership and addressing outstanding grievances involving senior management.
The situation leaves the university in a delicate interim state. With the incumbent council described as non-functional and the vice-chancellor facing unresolved complaints, stakeholders including staff, students and funders will be watching closely for swift but transparent action from government and university authorities. Rabuka’s acknowledgement that he has previously seen and is comfortable with the proposed board members indicates the appointments may not be contentious at the ministerial or executive level, although formalisation still awaits his approval.
It was not immediately clear who is on the proposed list of appointees, when Rabuka expects to receive the formal recommendation, or what the mechanism will be for investigating the complaints against Nabobo-Baba. The prime minister stopped short of giving timelines, saying only that approval was a matter of when the necessary paperwork reached him. University governance experts and some members of the public have in the past urged that appointments and complaint processes be handled with due process to restore confidence in institutional leadership.
This is the latest development in an unfolding governance matter at Fiji National University. Further updates are expected as the government completes the approval process for the new board and as the complaints lodged against the vice-chancellor are reviewed and addressed by the appropriate authorities.
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