The Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) has expressed its rejection of the advertisement for the position of Vice Chancellor at the institution,leadership reports.
This decision comes as the tenure of the current Vice Chancellor is set to conclude by July 2024.
In a joint statement signed by Chairman Nuruddeen Almustapha and Secretary Shu’aibu Sadiku, the chapter criticized the federal government’s move to nullify miscellaneous provisions within the university system, viewing it as a threat to the principles of transparency, equity, and merit-based selection of university leaders.
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ASUU pointed out that the National Universities Commission’s dissolution of the university’s governing council and those of other federal universities in June 2023 disregarded established procedures and institutional autonomy.
The union alleged that outgoing Vice-Chancellors of federal universities were attempting to exploit the absence of governing councils to install their proteges as “Acting Vice Chancellors,” thus perpetuating the practices of their predecessors.
Furthermore, ASUU condemned the unauthorized advertising of vacancies for top university positions, seeing it as a violation of proper procedures and a danger to the academic freedom and integrity of Nigeria’s public universities.
The union emphasized that these actions blatantly contravene Section III, Subsections I and II of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993, which clearly delineate the composition, roles, and dissolution procedures of governing councils.
ASUU asserted that the law specifies protocols for the appointment of principal officers in the absence of a council, without transferring the council’s functions to the minister or the visitor.
Calling upon President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Education, and other stakeholders, ASUU-UDUS urged the urgent reconstitution of governing councils in public universities to ensure lawful and smooth operations aligned with legal provisions, thereby upholding university autonomy and integrity.
The union also called for investigations into potential violations of the law in recent actions taken by universities in the absence of governing councils.
