ASUU seeks reconstitution of governing councils of FG’s varsities

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS) chapter on Friday urged the Federal Government to reconstitute the governing councils of its universities.

In a statement signed by Prof. Nuruddeen Al-Mustapha and Mr Shaibu Sadiku, Chairman and Secretary, respectively, the chapter appealed to President Bola Tinubu to consider the appeal.

“This step is crucial for universities to operate legally and smoothly, in accordance with the law.

“It will also uphold the autonomy and independence of universities by following established procedures and safeguarding their integrity,” the statement said.

The union also called on the Ministry of Education to investigate all violations of the law in recent actions taken by various universities in the absence of the councils.

It observed that the dissolution of all the Federal University Governing Councils in June 2023 by the National Universities Commission (NUC) undermined the established procedures and the autonomy of the institutions.

The ASUU-UDUS further noted the unauthorised advertising of vacancies for the offices of the Vice-Chancellors and other Principal Officers in the Federal universities.

“The action violates proper procedures and threatens the integrity and academic freedom of Nigeria’s public universities.

“The University law clearly outlines the composition, roles, and dissolution procedures of University Governing Councils and prescribed the protocol in the event of Council’s absence, particularly regarding the appointment of principal officers.

“At no point does the law transfer the council’s functions to the Minister or the Visitor; thus, these actions undermine the principles of transparency, equity, and merit-based selection of university principal officers,” it said.