The Committee of Vice Chancellors has expressed concern over what it described as infringement by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, of the powers of Governing Councils of universities in the recent appointment of vice chancellors for 12 federal universities.
The CVC raised this concern in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
The statement, signed by Prof. Michael Faborode, the CVC’s Secretary-General, said Adamu also erred in the appointment of a new vice-chancellor for the National Open University of Nigeria.
It said the power to appoint vice chancellors was spelt out in the University Miscellaneous Act.
NAN recalls that Adamu over the weekend announced the appointment of new vice chancellors for 12 federal universities and the NOUN.
According to the statement on Tuesday, the power to appoint and remove a substantive vice chancellor and when the need arises an acting vice-chancellor, is vested in the Governing Councils.
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The statement said: “The National Open University has a council in place; we are now aware that the councils of the 12 Federal universities were dissolved unceremoniously a day earlier, and the appointment of new ones announced.
“We have said before that though four-year tenure was prescribed for governing councils; the reality of change of government may necessitate re-constitution of such councils, if the government feels compelled to do so.
“In our candid and unbiased opinion, the minister should have allowed the new councils to be properly fully constituted and sworn-in, and then take the statutory responsibility of setting the machinery in motion to appoint the substantive vice-chancellors for the universities.”
It said that the dissolved councils of the eight universities had actually initiated the process of appointing their vice chancellors before the minister’s action, thereby bringing complications for the universities.
The statement said the usurpation of the statutory function of Governing Councils by the minister in appointing the new vice chancellors did not augur well for the integrity the Nigerian university system.
It said President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed concern about the poor ranking of Nigerian universities, adding that good governance was crucial to attaining world-class university status.
It said: “For the nine Federal Universities established in 2011, except the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, the tenure of the vice chancellors expired on February 15, hence it will be wrong to say they are being sacked.”
The statement said it was misinformation to say that the vice chancellors were sacked, having served out their tenures and handed over to their respective acting vice-chancellors appointed by the governing councils.
It said: “For the three new Federal Universities at Birnin Kebi, Gashua and Gusau, and that of Oye-Ekiti, we are surprised that new vice-chancellors were announced to have been appointed, as this does not conform to the extant practice in the university system.
“The vice-chancellor at Oye-Ekiti was appointed after the pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, was named Minister.
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“The vice-chancellors have inviolable tenure of five years; the situation is even made worse by the announced appointment of a new vice-chancellor for NOUN, which is no stranger to the statutory process of appointing a vice-chancellor.
“We plead that these vice-chancellors should be allowed to complete their tenure or proper statutory and transparent procedures be adopted, if they are accused of any wrong doings.”
The statement said the Nigerian university system had a lot to offer in exemplary conduct of governance and could be repositioned to be relevant to the change mantra of the current government.
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The statement called for synergy between all stakeholders, adding that policy initiatives that would connote the denigration of the office of the vice-chancellor should be avoided.