Tensions surrounding the appointment of Prof. Aisha Maikudi as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) remain unresolved, as a group of aggrieved lecturers has called for a thorough investigation into alleged N3 billion fraud in the institution.
The alleged fraud stem from a report issued by the 2021 Presidential Visitation Panel, which scrutinized the university’s activities during the 2019/2020 academic session.
Although the university administration has refuted any legal violations regarding Maikudi’s appointment, the concerned professors—who requested anonymity—claim that influential figures involved in the alleged financial misconduct orchestrated her selection to prevent any further inquiry into the matter.
The report, submitted to former Education Minister Mallam Adamu Adamu and later published on the ministry’s website, revealed numerous discrepancies in the university’s audited financial statements for the 2019/2020 session.
According to the lecturers, the Governing Council of the university at the time failed to take corrective actions despite the findings.
They also pointed to a possible connection between Maikudi’s appointment and efforts to suppress any investigations into the actions of the previous Governing Council, which was led by her father, Alhaji Sani Maikudi.
The Presidential Visitation Panel, chaired by Alhaji Bujar Goni Aji, submitted its report on June 11, 2021, following a 60-day investigation. The panel’s report covered two separate periods—2011 to 2015 and 2016 to 2020.
“The Panel observed that the Governing Council had taken policy steps to enhance the university’s internal revenue by increasing student fees and closing payment loopholes,” the report stated. “However, discrepancies were noted regarding the university’s revenue generation. Official records indicated the university could generate up to N4.87 billion in 2019/2020, while the Bursary reported a much lower figure of N1.65 billion.”
The panel further urged the university’s Governing Council to investigate the significant gap between the figures reported by the Bursary and the estimated income derived from student fees.
Meanwhile, the lecturers, who spoke to newsmen over the weekend, alleged that the immediate past Vice -Chancellor of the university, Prof Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, was in cohort with the current VC to ensure that no action is taken on the damning report.
The tenure of Na’Allah as Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja ended on a controversial note, marked by an industrial crisis with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.
The former VC was accused of prioritizing personal interests in certain official engagements, allegedly breaching sections of the university’s Act and administrative protocols.
Tensions reached a boiling point on May 2, 2024, just two months before Na’Allah’s exit, when ASUU declared an indefinite strike.
