House of Reps Investigates Minister for Alleged Removal of VCs

Morufu Alausa, the minister of education, has been called before the House of Representatives Committee on University Education in response to allegations of involuntary dismissal of vice-chancellors.
Additionally, according to the commission, Alausa was involved in the dissolution of university governing bodies. At a meeting in Abuja, Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa), the chairman of the committee, made this announcement.
The minister’s participation was necessary, according to Fulata, because the committee had recently received several petitions against him.

Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education in Owerri, Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, and the University of Nigeria in Nsukka were among the universities impacted, he said.

According to reports, the congressman stated that the school sector is presently dealing with difficulties brought on by unsteady leadership, which resulted from unilateral actions to dissolve governing councils and remove substantive vice-chancellors.

Along with other concerns, he emphasized the cases of acting vice-chancellors.

Such ambiguities pose a serious risk to the industry, Fulata said, since they could lead to needless conflict among university administrators.

The tenure and stability of the educational system may be threatened, he cautioned, and the misuse of pertinent laws and provisions may result.

“The removal of Aisha Maikudi from her position as Vice-Chancellor and the dissolution of the council on February 6, 2025, were unexpected for us,” said Abubakar Kari, a representative of the concerned University of Abuja workers.

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Kari denounced the situation in response to a petition headed “Unwarranted Removal of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as Vice-Chancellor and Dissolution of Governing Council of University of Abuja.”

He said that Patricia Lar was named acting vice-chancellor, Senator Lanre Tejuoso was appointed to the governing council, and Air Vice Marshal Ismaila Kaita (retd) was also removed from his role as council chairman.

The Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Amendment Act n2003, which specifically describes the steps for dismissing a vice-chancellor, was violated, Kari claimed.
Only the university’s governing board has the power to fire a vice-chancellor, he explained.

He called on the lawmakers to quickly restore Ms. Maikudi to her role and ensure that council members serve out their duties as elected representatives of the congregation and University Senate.

According to their individual comments, Ms. Maikudi and Mr. Kaita told the committee that they had not yet received any correspondence about their termination.