By Anthony P. Chinya
Some individuals derive pleasure from causing trouble or engaging in disruptive behaviour. Sometimes it is because they are merely seeking attention or working to position themselves for some interests. Sometimes it can be simply for courting trouble for trouble’s sake. There are some benefits for them, though, oftentimes they end up heating up the system unnecessarily. Because trouble makers sometimes thrive in an atmosphere of silence, there are times some concerned members of the society need to challenge them, in equal measure, at least to set the record straight.
This is why I am responding to the story of the group of men who gathered under the auspices of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja, ASUU branch, to fault the advertisement for the institution’s Vice Chancellor position in some national dailies.
At that conference, the chairperson of the University’s branch of ASUU, one Sylvanus Ugoh, argued tenuously that the placement of the advertisement “contravened relevant laws” and so, was unacceptable to the Union and its members because only the Governing Council was empowered to advertise such a vacancy.
The group had gone further to berate the Registrar and Secretary to the Council of the University, for, in their opinion, disregarding the process and procedure of appointment of the vice chancellor, and going ahead to sign the advertisement.
The group would, nevertheless go on to peremptorily warn intending applicants to stay clear of the advertisement until due process was adhered to in the recruitment of a new vice-chancellor.
Any one who is familiar with the antics of these fellows knows that they are simply looking for trouble or working for certain interests, while pretending to defend the law. But the truth of the matter is that no law has been violated, except in the warped imagination of those who seek to profit from the art of mischief-making.
The Governing Council of the University, as the apex decision- body in the University is vested with the authority to process the appointment of the vice chancellor, no doubt, but the questions right thinking people have been asking are: was the Governing Council of the University in place as of the time the advert was published? Has the duty of the council been side-stepped by the publication of the advert? In the absence of the council should the University generally fold up? The answers to these questions are in the negative.
As a background, the councils of Federal universities have been dissolved by the Federal government since June 2023. Within this period, it was never on record that this group complained about the dissolution, neither did they put pressure on the government to reconstitute the councils.
However, because nature abhors a vacuum, the management of the University took steps to publish the advert, after contacting the office of the Minister of Education. (Never mind that among those trying to make trouble now, were some who had been accusing the management of refusing to advertise, because the vice-chancellor was working underground to extend his tenure).
Lest we forget, this same Minister who is now being seen as overstepping the bounds of law for approving the advertisement for the position of vice chancellor had through the same procedures approved some administrative processes in the University, which were also part of the council’s roles. Such approvals included the extension of tenure of the acting Bursar of the University for six months, and staff promotion from which some ASUU officials benefitted. But the group never had reservations about this “illegality.”
Come to think of it, within the period that the advertisement was placed, did other federal universities such as Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi; Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto; and the University of Maiduguri, not advertise for the same position of vice chancellor using the same procedure as that of the University of Abuja? Why didn’t the ASUU members in these three universities try to make trouble?
Actually, this group in our University is hiding under the pretext of perceived illegality to advance some self-serving desires, even at the expense of heating up the system. Indeed, they are disappointed that with such a high-class advertisement, their preferred aspirants to the office of the Chief Executive and Academic Officer of the University will easily lose out.
They were shocked to discover that the Minister of Education approved of requirements in the advert such as “possession of a proven track record of academic excellence to command the recognition and respect of national and international academic communities and colleagues; and proven successful international engagement and strong international network in academic, research and development programmes” among other important qualifications outside the scope of their imaginary vice chancellors. They, thus, called for withdrawal of the existing advertisement so that it can be watered down to accommodate the credentials of their low-profile candidates, even though they are aware that the University deserves another quality leadership, having suffered enough from the asphyxiating authority of similar inward-looking and incompetent vice chancellors in the past who could only fly at abysmally low feet above the level of ignorance.
If they care to know, they would realise that the University has since been released from the shackles of many years of shortsighted leadership that has held it hostage, and now stepping into the warm embrace of highly rated universities; they would know that the University is desirous of having another leader in the class of the no-nonsense Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, who has consistently refused to be ensnared in what I call “insider bottlenecks”. They are angry and disappointed that the current vice-chancellor has never kowtowed to ASUU hegemony or allowed his office to dance to their retrogressive steps.
And that’s why the group could not end their press conference without throwing some falsehood around about “the illegal appointments of acting Deans of Faculties and the Provost, College of Health Sciences,” and staff without adverts and interviews.
As far as this group is concerned, whatever does not have their imprint or place them in full control of certain administrative responsibilities in the University remains “illegal.” There are acting deans of faculties and Provost of College of Health Sciences, who are now carrying out their responsibilities effectively, and it is within the ambit of the law that they were appointed.
Also, the few staff who have been employed in the University, of recent, got appointment after a waiver from the government to kick start the various processes of their employment. For many years the University of Abuja never got this opportunity to recruit staff to fill in some vacant positions and strengthen its workforce. And because those who have been employed, especially academic staff from other universities are adding more value to the system, the group needs to cook up some claims to undermine the excellent performance of this administration.
In spite of some terrible stories about extortion, sexual harassment, etc among its members in the last few years, this group never bothered to address them.
The local ASUU chapter’s “struggle” to bring the University of Abuja back to its dark days should be fought by all well meaning people, including staff and students of our university, until the union is prepared to work with the management and council (when reconstituted) of the University to ensure that the grounds are prepared for only competent leaders, and not some narrow-minded academics whose only credentials to the position of vice chancellor will be that they are loyal members of the union.
Anthony P. Chinya, writes from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Abuja.
