Chidimma Uchegbu
The controversy surrounding the appointment of a substantive Vice -Chancellor for the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), took a new turn on Tuesday as the external Governing Council Members boycotted a meeting with the Chairman of Governing Council, Air Vice Marshal Saddiq Ismaila Kaita (Retd).
Katia, who is rumoured to have an anointed candidate to fill the position, had called for the Council meeting late Monday to appoint a Substantive Vice -Chancellor by 3:00pm on Tuesday.
However, a source close to the university said the external members were not aware of the decision of the chairman as he could not produce an agenda before the meeting.
The source, who pleaded anonymity, stated that the law was clear about the selection and appointment of Vice -Chancellor and that the Chairman was not following due process.
According to the source, the law states that unless the Chairman, two Council members who are not members of Senate, two representatives of Senate who are not members of Council are present, any interview conducted for the selection of VCs is null and void.
“There is no provision for just one Senate representative or four members. The issue of quorum does not arise. All the members must be present,” the source said.
The External Council members who boycotted the meeting include: Prof Raphael Akinfeleye, representing South West, Mrs. Chisom Dorcas Obih, representing South East and Ahaji Sabo Bappayo Ahmed, representing North East.
Recall that a group of 67 professors had stormed the Ministry of Education on Monday and submitted a protest letter to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to dissolve the council and start afresh in line with due process as prescribed by the law, the conventions and traditions governing public universities.
The professors alleged that the Chairman rejected over 27 internal applications, 60 external application, 87 in total and invited only three persons to favour his preferred candidate, who is the the Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Aisha Maikudi, despite her alleged lack of qualifications.
According to them, the council was improperly constituted, with internal members allegedly handpicked by the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, during a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter of the institution.
The professors also criticised the inclusion of a representative from the Federal Ministry of Education and a businesswoman on the council, asserting that these individuals lacked the expertise required to uphold quality assurance in higher education governance.
According to the petition, a kwy criteria for the Vice-Chancellor position, such as a minimum of ten years of professorial experience, were allegedly disregarded in the advertisement for the post of Vice-Chancellor published in newspapers in August 2024, adding that the Acting Vice-Chancellor had only two years of experience as a professor, lacked scholarly visibility, and had weak academic credentials.
The aggrieved academics also called for the dissolution of the Governing Council and the establishment of a new body to oversee the selection process, urging the Education Minister to nullify all decisions taken by the current council, warning that failure to act would set a dangerous precedent for other universities.
“We have lost total faith and confidence in the Governing Council to be fair and just in producing the best and most qualified Vice Chancellor for the University.
“Thus, we urge you to take immediate corrective action to restore the integrity of the process by dissolving the Governing Council, declare their proceedings null and void, re-constitute a new Governing Council to superintend fresh and free process that will lead to the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor for the University of Abuja.
“Honourable Minister Sir, failure to address these concerns will have far-reaching consequences for the University and the higher education system in Nigeria as other Governing Councils will gladly emulate this ugly and unfortunate path taken by the University of Abuja Governing Council,” the letter read.
