The vice chancellor job at Modibbo Adama University (MAU) in Yola was rejected by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
At a news conference, the union made it clear that it strongly disagreed with MAU’s decision to advertise the position of vice chancellor, citing the action’s illegality as the reason.
According to El-Maude Jibreel Gambo, chairperson of the MAU chapter of ASUU, who read out the press conference text to reporters, all federal universities have procedures in place for posting openings for principal officer positions and vice chancellor positions, whether there are normal or abnormal circumstances.
El-Maude Gambo clarified that while the Council is normally responsible for this, in exceptional cases the Vice-chancellor or Senate might designate an acting vice chancellor for a duration of six months, in accordance with the regulations that apply to a certain university.
He went on to say that the vice chancellor job had to be advertised because Professor Tahir Mamman, the minister of education, “has mandated some university managements, including MAU Yola to write an application seeking his approval.”
“This one unlawful act not only goes against the accepted practices of choosing principal officers and vice chancellors, but it also endangers the independence, integrity, and academic freedom of Nigeria’s public universities,” he declared.
He continued by saying that the statute blatantly disregards fairness, openness, and the selection of university principals based on merit.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) dissolved the governing councils of federal universities at President Bola Tinubu’s directive, which the MAU ASUU branch criticized as “illegal” and a violation of Section 3 (1&2) of the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1993.
El-Maude Gambo demanded that President Tinubu, the minister of education, and all other relevant parties immediately reassemble the governing councils.