On that Imposed Leadership at UniAbuja
One is at a loss as to how to comprehend and assimilate the civilian equivalent of a coup plot that just toppled the properly constituted governing authorities and their replacement by ‘impostors’ at the University of Abuja. Only in this instance, the ‘impostors’ were not the initiators and planners of the plot. It was engineered and executed by some dark forces who were able to use the highest levers of power in the country for the nefarious plot. Not minding the repercussions on the sanctity of the extant laws, due process, and good governance in the Nigerian university system. For the avoidance of doubt, the University of Abuja is by law a self-governing entity courtesy of the Autonomy Act, but this has been rubbished by the highest authority in the land. This is a new low recorded in the annals of university development and governance that should not be glossed over until the ugly scenario is resolved and reversed.
The incongruity and inelegance of the recent sudden sweeping leadership changes imposed on the University of Abuja by the Tinubu-led administration came into sharp focus and immediately confronted the newly appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, Senator Lanre Tejuoso, and acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patricia Manko Lar, when they converged on the University’s Main Campus on Tuesday 11th February, to assume duty. Appointed in the wake of an orchestrated negative press against the now disbanded Governing Council led by Air Vice-Marshall Sadik Kaita (rtd) and the newly appointed now disengaged substantive Vice-Chancellor, Professor Aisha Maikudi, the duo stormed the Campus with the apparent mandate to in the Senator’s words “restore sanity to this institution”.
However, contrary to their expectation, the government-imposed leadership change agents met a serene university environment subdued by a cocktail of mixed emotions across sections of the academic community. On the one hand, the silent majority comprising both teaching and non-teaching staff were still steeped in shock and disbelief that the highly popular young, energetic, vibrant, and dynamic 7th substantive Vice-Chancellor who brought a breath of fresh air into the administration of the University was unilaterally removed on the orders of President Tinubu in total disregard of extant rules and due process. On the other hand, the noisy minority who championed the media war against the University in pursuit of ‘regime change’ to fulfill the personal ambition of a financially endowed contestant who failed to attend the interview for the position in December last year, also found itself shellshocked that after deploying all its fighting arsenal, it lost out when the government appointed an acting Vice-Chancellor from the University of Jos; and with that scenario blows away their chances of securing the substantive appointment for their man. This further applies to the other sore and embittered losers in the University including two prominent female professors who have vowed consequences for the system. All of them welcomed the removal of Professor Maikudi. Still, they remained dismayed and disgruntled by the President’s unilateral appointment of the acting Vice-Chancellor which is equally not backed by extant laws.
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Thus, when the new Pro-Chancellor announced at the maiden meeting with the Principal Officers, Deans, Directors, members of management, and other stakeholders that their mission was to stabilise the system most of those in attendance were bemused because there was no sign or indication of a university in crisis to warrant a restoration of sanity. Academic and other activities have been fully operating in top gear, with staff and students doing their normal activities unperturbed. The crisis, if any, was more on the pages of newspapers, television stations, and online platforms. It was only after Senator Tejuoso referred to several petitions submitted to government circles and published in the media, including the one by the group of 43/44 professors opposing the selection and appointment of Professor Maikudi that his attention was drawn to a counter-petition by a group of 109 members of the University Senate. This disclosure that a far higher number has endorsed the appointment of Professor Maikudi rattled the Pro-Chancellor and the acting Vice-Chancellor as it countered the false narrative fed to them that the process of the appointment was flawed and lacked support in the University community.
Consequently, the Pro-Chancellor agreed to a separate meeting with various groups, including the staff unions and other stakeholders intending to unearth the circumstances surrounding what the new leadership believes to be the ‘leadership crisis’ that led to their appointment and their given mandate. The interactions with the various groups and individual officers have commenced in earnest, but members of the University community across the board and even some interested members of the public are wondering why the new leadership of the University of Abuja is only now interrogating and trying to establish and understand what transpired after it came into being. Does it mean that the government jumped the gun by the President being cajoled or stampeded into making decisions before the facts of the matter were established? If that was the case, whose interest was served by the precipitate action by President Tinubu? The few noisy dissenting voices who were adept at using the media but who were unable to prove any of their false assertions to date? Was Tinubu’s Presidency conned by some vested interests skilled in the media war and propaganda? Shouldn’t it have sent the duo as part of a Special Visitation Panel that could have done the needful to provide a solid basis for well-informed decisions? Even if it will eventually lead to subsequent future engagement with them at the University? Several pertinent and serious unanswered questions?
It remains to be seen how the University of Abuja’s current leadership and governance conundrum is going to be resolved. The government that created the needless ugly scenario is still central to its immediate resolution, and there is only one proper way to go about it. In line with the extant laws, President Tinubu should just summon the courage and reverse the disengagement of Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja. He should do this to strengthen the rule of law and restore the confidence and mojo of members of the University community. History and posterity beckon on the President to the needful.
Timothy Ogundare, Ph.D writes from University of Abuja
