Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi
By Martha O. Ibrahim
Despite the intrigues, blackmail, and mudslinging that characterised the process for the appointment of vice-chancellor at the University of Abuja, the world now knows that Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi has emerged as the chosen leader of this institution.
Perhaps, never in the history of contests for leadership in the Nigerian university system has there been this level of hatred, acrimony, rancour, and calumny. You would think that some of the candidates in this contest at the University of Abuja were running for the highest office at the government house of a state or the Aso Villa.
Among the over 80 candidates who expressed interest in becoming the vice-chancellor of Nigeria’s only federal university in the Federal Capital Territory, Maikudi became the primary target of relentless attacks. Her opponents wasted no time in employing every weapon of personal destruction, from bare insults to malicious vilification and attempts to present her as unfit and unqualified, all in a bid to undermine her chances of becoming the substantive vice-chancellor of the institution.
Yet, their tactics came crashing down.
On 31st December 2024, the Governing Council of the University of Abuja appointed the 41-year-old professor of law as its vice-chancellor in line with the extant rules that govern such an appointment. However, even after the announcement, some of her detractors have continued their campaign of misinformation.
Buoyed by a member of the Governing Council, and a few lecturers, one of the failed candidates has been going around media houses, rehashing baseless claims about Maikudi’s qualification, questioning the transparency of the appointment process, distributing protest letters, and making unsuccessful attempts to see the minister and some government officials to sell their lies to them.
The group has gone as far as even calling for the dissolution of the Governing Council, while mischievously comparing it to that of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, which was dissolved last year by the government over its flawed process. They are humouring themselves, thinking and hoping that the more they tell these lies, the more they metamorphose to truth.
It is not that you do not have the right to legitimately protest against a process you assume was wrong. However, when stakeholders of the University, including students and staff, alumni, the government, and even some media houses have seen through your protests and realised that your frustration stems from defeat, they simply ignore you.
The Governing Council of the University, headed by Mr Sidiq Ismail Kaita, a retired Air Vice Marshal seemed to have understood this desperation long ago, and made a determined effort to respect only a process that is based on merit and transparency in appointing Maikudi. In a statement a few days ago, the Council’s Secretary, Alhaja Islamiyatu Abdulraheem, said this organ “strictly complied with the relevant provisions of the two main acts guiding the appointment of Vice-Chancellors of the University, namely, the University of Abuja Act and the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003, No 1 of 2007,” and explained this as partly responsible for the “wide and enthusiastic acceptance of the announcement of the new Vice-Chancellor within and beyond the University community.”
Truly, we have seen for instance, how the deans, directors and heads of departments of the various faculties, centres and departments, respectively, rallied round Maikudi last week to felicitate her, pray for her and pledge their unallowed support, according to a Facebook post on the official page of the University.
Also, over 100 senate members have reportedly expressed massive support for her and the process that produced her.
I have called some of these so-called aggrieved lecturers and made certain clarifications about their ignorance of the laws that govern the process, and asked them to stop wasting their time and engaging in what a friend called “bitter campaigns after legitimate appointments.” But they have persisted in their orchestrated smear campaign. What these “protesters” do not understand is that their continued refusal to come out of their dreams and embrace the reality of Maikudi’s appointment may further alienate them from the system.
So far, it is heartwarming that Maikudi has been receiving congratulatory messages from prominent Nigerians and individuals across the globe.
As a woman, I am particularly interested in the statement from the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman – Ibrahim, who described Maikudi as an exemplary role model for women and girls in Nigeria. Similarly, the Katsina State Governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has hailed Maikudi’s appointment as not only having reflected her “outstanding academic leadership but also showcased the intellectual capacity and educational excellence that Katsina State continues to contribute to our nation’s development.”
The Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has congratulated Maikudi and wished her a successful tenure. And many more accolades are sure to pour in for the new vice chancellor.
Let me use this forum to heartily congratulate the brand-new vice-chancellor, Professor Asiha Sani Maikudi, on her well-deserved appointment and remind her that she has a lot of work to do.
Anyone who has followed the developments of the University of Abuja since 1988 when it was founded knows that it has suffered years of systematic stagnation under some of its past leadership. Only a few of its previous vice chancellors have made impressive impacts. The hope now is that Professor Maikudi will build on their successes and usher in a new era of growth and excellence.
While it is commendable that the University community is rallying around her, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) should be particularly commended for their stance in resisting the attempts of these overambitious individuals to manipulate the system. The union should see Maikudi as their own and continue to offer her the necessary support that will help to raise the academic standard and reputation of this university.
On her part, Professor Maikudi should remain strong and focused on the bigger picture.
I urge her never to allow herself to be distracted by this small group, who is driven by an unbridled desire for power and patriarchal biases rather than genuine concerns for the university’s progress. She has to rise above their notorious pettiness. Her detractors may have their say, but it is the legacy she builds that will ultimately matter. And on this, we are all confident she will succeed.
Martha Ibrahim, an Alumna of Faculty of Law, University of Abuja, writes from Garki, Abuja.
