UniAbuja Governing Council Skips Meeting Over Chairman’s Plans to Appoint VC

As the external members of the Governing Council boycotted a meeting with the Chairman of the Governing Council, Air Vice Marshal Saddiq Ismaila Kaita, retd., the dispute over the nomination of a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the University of Abuja, UniAbuja, took a new turn on Tuesday.

The Council meeting was convened by Katia, who is said to have handpicked a candidate to fill the role, late Monday in order to choose a Substantive Vice-Chancellor by Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.

But according to a university insider, the external members were unaware of the chairman’s decision because he was unable to provide an agenda prior to the meeting.

According to the source, who asked to remain anonymous, the Chairman was not abiding by due process and the legislation was explicit concerning the Vice-Chancellor’s nomination and selection.

According to the source, the law stipulates that any interview pertaining to the appointment of VCs is void unless the Chairman, two non-Senator Council members, and two Senate representatives who are not Council members are present.

“Neither one Senate representative nor four members are provided for. The question of a quorum is not raised. According to the source, every member needs to be present.

The following members of the External Council did not attend the meeting: Ahaji Sabo Bappayo Ahmed, representing the North East; Mrs. Chisom Dorcas Obih, representing the South East; and Prof. Raphael Akinfeleye, representing the South West.

Remember how 67 professors stormed the Ministry of Education on Monday and petitioned Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, to dissolve the council and begin anew in accordance with due process as required by law, public university conventions, and traditions?

According to the professors, the Chairman dismissed more than 27 internal and 60 external applications—a total of 87—and only invited three people to support his chosen candidate.

They claim that the council was not officially established and that during a strike by the branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, or ASUU, the immediate former vice-chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, handpicked internal members.

A businesswoman and a delegate from the Federal Ministry of Education were also included on the council, which the professors criticized for lacking the knowledge necessary to maintain quality assurance in higher education governance.

The petition claims 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 claims that the Acting Vice-Chancellor had low academic credentials, lacked scholarly visibility, and had only two years of experience as a professor.

Along with calling for the dissolution of the Governing Council and the creation of a new body to supervise the selection process, the irate academics urged the Education Minister to overturn all of the current council’s decisions, stating that inaction would create a risky precedent for other universities.

We no longer have complete faith and confidence that the Governing Council would select the most capable and best Vice Chancellor for the University in a fair and reasonable manner.

Therefore, we implore you to take prompt corrective action to restore the process’s integrity 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.

The letter had stated, “Honorable Minister Sir, if these issues are not addressed, there will be severe repercussions for the University and the Nigerian higher education system, as other governing councils will be happy to follow this shameful and unattractive course.”