Govt, group disagree over appointment

KWARA State government and a group known as Kwara Community for Qualitative Education (KCFQE) yesterday traded words over the appointment of Prof. Kenneth Adeyemi as the acting vice-chancellor of the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete in Moro Local Government Area.

The state government had early in the week directed the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, to proceed on terminal leave.

Prof. Na’Allah’s tenure expires July, this year.

But, KCFQE has accused the state government of wanting to coerce the institution’s governing council to endorse the illegal appointment of an acting vice chancellor for the institution.

Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Abdullahi Alikinla said Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed acted within the law setting up KWASU in directing Prof. Na’Allah to proceed on terminal leave and appointing Prof. Kenneth Adeyemi to replace him in an acting capacity.

Alikinla said this was in keeping with academic practice, which mandates incumbent vice chancellors to embark on such leave within 90 days to the end of their tenure.

Quoting from the Kwara State University Law 2009 (as amended) to buttress his point, the commissioner, a lawyer, said: “Section 9 states that the vice-chancellor may be removed from office by the Visitor for good cause after consultation with the council”.

Alikinla added that Governor Ahmed followed due process by consulting with the university’s council members before appointing Prof. Adeyemi to replace the outgoing Vice Chancellor.

He urged to the public to ignore fake social media stories claiming the university’s council dissociated itself from the government’s actions, stressing the university’s council chairman, Prof. Saka Nuhu, has since informed the government that he neither authorised nor authored the statement wrongly credited to him in the media.

But, in a statement, Secretary of KCFQE Ishaq Abu said the government had summoned the KWASU governing council to a meeting at the Government House on Friday, where they would be directed to endorse the appointment of Prof. Kenneth Adeyemi as acting VC, among other alleged unlawful actions of the outgoing administration.

Abu also rejected the government’s claim, made through Commissioner for Tertiary Education that it acted within the law in appointing the acting Vice Chancellor. Abu said at no time was the Governing Council consulted on the matter and neither did it recommend the appointee as required by law.