A meeting with the Chairman of the Governing Council, Air Vice Marshal Saddiq Ismaila Kaita, retd, was boycotted by the external members of the Governing Council on Tuesday, adding a new dimension to the controversy surrounding the nomination of a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the University of Abuja, UniAbuja.
Katia, who is said to have a chosen candidate for the role, had summoned the Council to convene late Monday in order to name a Substantive Vice-Chancellor by Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
However, according to a source close to the university, the chairman was unable to prepare an agenda prior to the meeting, thus the external members were unaware of his decision.
The source claimed that the Chairman was not abiding by due process and that the legislation was clear about the Vice-Chancellor’s appointment and selection. The source pleaded anonymity.
In accordance with the source, the law stipulates that any interview for the appointment of VCs is void unless the Chairman, two non-senior members of the Council, and two senatorial representatives were present.
“Neither four members nor only one Senate representative are covered. The quorum problem is not raised. The source stated that every member needed to be present.
Mrs. Chisom Dorcas Obih, who represented the South East, Prof. Raphael Akinfeleye, who represented the South West, and Ahaji Sabo Bappayo Ahmed, who represented the North East, were among the members of the External Council who did not attend the meeting.
You may remember that on Monday, 67 professors stormed the Ministry of Education and sent a protest letter to Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, demanding that the council be dissolved and that a new one be started in accordance with due process as required by law, public university conventions, and history.
According to the professors, the Chairman invited only three people to support his favored candidate and rejected more than 27 internal and 60 external applications, totaling 87, in all.
They contend that the council was illegally formed and that during a strike by the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, chapter, internal members were hand-picked by the immediate former vice-chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah.
Additionally, the professors criticized the appointment of a businesswoman and a representative from the Federal Ministry of Education to the council, claiming that these persons lacked the knowledge necessary to maintain quality assurance in the governance of higher education.
The petition alleges that the August 2024 newspaper ad for the Vice-Chancellor position allegedly ignored important requirements, including a minimum of ten years of professorial experience. It also mentions the Acting Vice-Chancellor’s two years of professorial experience, lack of scholarly visibility, and poor academic credentials.
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The irate professors also demanded that the Governing Council be disbanded and that a new committee be established to supervise the selection process. They urged the Education Minister to overturn all of the current council’s decisions, stating that inaction would create a risky precedent for other establishments.
“We no longer have complete faith or confidence that the Governing Council will act justly and fairly in selecting the most capable and best Vice Chancellor for the University.
We therefore implore you to take prompt corrective action to restore the integrity of the process by dissolving the Governing Council, deeming its actions invalid, and re-establishing a new Governing Council to oversee a new, unrestricted procedure that will result in the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor for the University of Abuja.
“Honorable Minister Sir, if these issues are not addressed, it will have a significant impact on the University and Nigeria’s higher education system because other governing councils will be happy to follow the University of Abuja Governing Council’s shameful and unattractive course,” the letter had stated.
