Tag: POWER

Many universities appear to be finding it difficult managing the power granted them by the Federal Government to appoint their vice chancellors. This seems to have placed a burden on Governing Councils some of which have been accused of misusing the power, reports ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA.

It is a power they longed for, but now many universities are finding it difficult to manage the power. In the past one year, crisis has been trailing their use of this power to appoint Vice Chancellor (VCs).

For years, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) fought for the right of universities to choose their VCs.  President Goodluck Jonathan granted them power on assuming office in 2010, ending the practice of sending the names of three shortlisted candidates to the visitor to pick from.

Can universities sustain this partial autonomy as contained in the University Miscellaneous Provision Act approved by the president in 2013?

Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof Julius Okojie is worried over the universities, capability to cope, but he believes they can pull through. Addressing the 29th edition of the Association of the Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) meeting held Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, Okojie said the autonomy has placed a cross on Governing Councils to live up to expectations.

The government, Okojie said, is watching how the councils will henceforth, handle appointment of VCs, which he described as a litmus test.

“They (Councils) can (manage the autonomy)!” Okojie said. “We must realise that it is only the Councils that have the right to approve the VCs’ appointment; it no longer comes from government. The President cannot sack the VC, but it can sack the Council if members are not doing well. But the challenge now is for universities to live up to expectation and manage the autonomy well.”

Okojie said more than before the government will scrutinise the profile of those it appoints into the governing councils of universities and other tertiary institutions. With credible people on board, he is optimistic that the councils will follow due process in appointing VCs accepted by all.

He spoke in light of the crisis that followed the selection of a vice chancellor for the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), where the governing council chairman, Alhaji Lawan Bukar Marguba, allegedly unilaterally cancelled the selection of Prof Ibrahim Njodi, who came first with 90.1 per cent.  (His closest rival scored 31.5 per cent).  The cancellation did not stand.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike has condemned the ethnic tendencies of some councils in choosing vice chancellors.

When he met with heads and chairmen of boards of tertiary institutions in Abuja, he said any qualified Nigerian could administer tertiary schools, regardless of his or her state or local government of origin.

He said: “There is something that is occurring that if we do not stop now, it will be a problem. On the issue of appointment (communities) are trying to localise appointment of vice chancellors, rectors and provosts. For example in Rivers State, we have the Federal College of Education, Technical, Omoku. You have people from Rivers State who are lecturers; you have people who are not from Rivers state. For Christ sake, it is not a college of education for that community. It is a federal government school but in that community.

“Therefore, it does not mean that if you are from outside the state, you cannot be a provost or rector in that institution. We are not happy about it. And, one has to state clearly, as the government position is that we should stop this idea of localizing this position. We are not saying that those who are qualified from that place and who can compete with their colleagues should not be given. But, this attitude that is coming in now that ‘he is from Rivers, he is from Anambra, he is from Enugu or he is from Sokoto; no, please make sure that our own sons, our own daughter get it’. That is not the essence of sighting institutions in those areas.

He also spoke strongly against unnecessary interference of host communities in the running of tertiary institutions.

“We have even got to a level whereby a traditional ruler is telling you whether a Vice Chancellor is performing or not; whether a rector is performing or not; whether a provost is performing or not. Is that is the question you are supposed to ask? There is nothing wrong in you having a good relationship with your host community. But, a situation whereby the community begins to decide who becomes provost or who becomes rector, it has never happened. And, if we allow that to continue, by the time it gets to a level where nobody can control it, then, we will be in serious problem,” he said.

Wike is worried the problem has become a recurring.  In March, he described as unacceptable the insistence of the Nsukka community that the then VC of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, and the Chairman of Council, Dr Emeka Enejere, should be removed.

At the university’s 43rd convocation, Wike said: “My address would not be complete if I do not make reference to the recent disturbing developments in this university. While I am pleased that peace and normalcy have returned to the university, let me seize this occasion to reiterate that federal institutions should not be seen as the property of the communities or states in which they are situated.”

According to the VC, Federal University, Gashua in Yobe State, Prof Shehu Abdul-Raman, a lot of malpractices work against the governing councils and university autonomy.

“Though Council is now empowered to appoint vice-chancellor, the way it is being handled is not appropriate. We may say that Council is following normal procedure, but there are lots of irregularities, selfishness and money exchanging hands which may not help the autonomy.

“Politics has entered constitution of our council. So we see people even individuals with OND who don’t even know about university administration being appointed council members. We need people that are sound and financially strong enough to support the university. What we have today are Council members chosen because of their political parties’ affiliations.”

Vice Chancellor, Bowen University in Iwo, Osun State, Prof Matthew Ojo said:

“Our own (Bowen) council enjoys 100 autonomy; we don’t have any intervention from the proprietor. We just concluded the process of appointing Registrar and Bursar and there was no interference from anybody.

“But I know in federal universities, the game must be different. More than half the members of Council are political appointees; and this will reflect on the quality of what they do with the autonomy. The Chairman of Council who is appointed by government in most cases is a politician or a political appointee.  If the number of council members by government is less than 50 per cent, then we might be getting somewhere,” he said.

Deputy Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice-President Academics & Administration, Adeleke University, Osun State Prof Ibikunle Tijani told The Nation that government it influences the governing councils.

He said the government should end the practice of appointing people into c council for political reward.

“Until government stops the selection of council members on the basis of political or ethnic leaning, such members will never have independence of mind,” he said.

To be completely free of government influence, Chief Afe Babalola, founder, Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), suggests that the government should allow tertiary institutions to choose their councils.

He said: “The process of appointment into Governing Council should be made an exclusive affair of universities. A system should be put in place in which council members will be elected by the university community.  This will ensure ability of the council to formulate policies and strategies for the university without undue government influence.

“The most interesting aspect of the composition of the Governing Council relates to the appointment of 12 persons who are supposed to represent a variety of interest. However, what most government at the state and federal levels do is to appoint people based on political considerations. There have been reported cases of Council members requesting either contracts or even cash for members of their constituencies in the belief that they were appointed to serve the interest of the said constituencies and not the institution itself.”

Besides, Babalola said the government also has to stipulate a tenure for council members so they can function properly.

He said: “To allow Council to function, members must be assured of the certainty of their tenure. This entails the immediate composition of Council as and at when required. A situation in which government will fail or refuse to constitute the Governing Council of universities for several months is not one that augurs well for proper administration and accountability.

“Aside that this development is retrogressive; it also discourages Nigerians from accepting service on universities’ Governing Council.  Who, afterall, will be willing to accept such appointment when he is likely, before the expiration of his tenure to face the indignity of having the dissolution of Council of which he is a member announced on the media without any prior notice and without even the simplest appreciation of acknowledgement of services rendered by him?”

Chairman, of Lagos State University (LASU) chapter of ASUU Dr Adekunle Idris believes the council will not compromise its position if the quality of membership can be vouched for.

“The law says the minimum qualification is BS.C. But we are not talking about only first degree here but how many among them are administrators?  And how many years of administrative experience do they have? For us in ASUU, we have always agitated for individuals such as retired vice-chancellors, professors, registrars and bursars with a rich mix of other distinguished individuals from the private sectors,” he said.