ASUU faults UniAbuja, education minister over VC position advert

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, has rejected the advertisement for the institution’s Vice Chancellor position.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Abuja, the chairperson of ASUU in the university, Dr. Sylvanus Ugoh, said “the union rejects the advertisement and shall resist it within the ambit of the law.”

“The union wishes to inform intending applicants to steer clear until due process is adhered to,” he added.

This is coming on the back of a recent advert in a national daily by the management of the university, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah.

Ugoh stated that only the Governing Council has the right to appoint a substantive vice chancellor.

He explained that the advertorial, as part of the process of appointing a new Vice Chancellor, was unacceptable to the union and its members because it contravened relevant laws.

The union lamented that at different times, the Federal Government’s actions and inactions had contributed negatively to the smooth running of universities’ administration in Nigeria especially the University of Abuja.

The union said: “The Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act 1993 (as amended) 2003 and 2012 Section 3 subsection 1 and 2 states: ‘Where a vacancy occurs in the post of a Vice Chancellor, the Governing Council shall advertise the vacancy in a reputable journal or a widely read newspaper in Nigeria.

“The laws are very clear and unambiguous in this matter. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, was quoted to have given approval for the advertisement of the would-be vacant position of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja.

“Also, The Universities Miscellaneous Provision Act 2003 (as amended), Section 2AA states that: ‘The power of the Governing Council shall exercise as in the Law and statutes of each University and to that extent establishment circulars that are inconsistent with the law and statutes of the University shall not apply to the Universities.’”

He said the union maintained that the minister and the university administration acted in violation of the Act and the university autonomy.

The union also condemned the “illegal” appointments of acting Deans of Faculties and the Provost College of Health Sciences, noting that the current administration had totally disregarded the provision of the Act.

“As at today, there are neither elected Deans nor Provost across all faculties and colleges in the university. The union has made several efforts to draw the attention of the university administration to this outright disregard to the Act but the administration has remained adamant. In spite of the branch exco interactions and zonal visitation of ASUU to the Vice Chancellor on the same concern, he remains non-responsive.”

On the issue of recruitment of staff without due process, it lamented that all recruitments made by the current university administration were neither advertised nor interviews carried out.

It, therefore, urged the minister, who was quoted to have approved the advertisement, to direct the withdrawal of the said advert in compliance with the extant laws that established the University of Abuja.