Says Council not dumping ground for retired politicians
By Okey Maduforo
Nnamdi Azikiwe University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU have protested the membership of it’s Governing Council, contending that it is not a dumping ground for retired politicians.
The group further called for immediate reversal of those appointments, contending that most of its members do not have anything to offer to the academic system.
The Chairman Prof Kingsley Ubaorji made the statement at a press conference in Awka, preceding a protest against the federal government’s insensitivity to Nigerian universities funding.
He said federal government dissolved federal universities council without due process and appointed very old politicians..
He said that ASUU demands the reversal of the appointment of very old politicians as members of governing council of federal universities in Nigeria.
Ubaorji said that those appointed into the Councils are very old politicians without knowledge of university administration, noting that university Council cannot be dumping group for old politicians .
“Our union condemns the dissolution of governing councils without due process. Governing Councils are crucial for the governance and strategic direction of our universities. Therefore, the illegal and arbitrary dissolution of the Governing Council whose tenures have not ended undermines Nigerian universities’ autonomy and smooth functioning”
” This cannot be tolerated as it lays a very bad precedence. Even the membership of the said newly reconstituted Councils is problematic”
” A critical look at the list of the newly constituted Governing Council, shows that it is made up of very old politicians who do not understand the academic system and its administrative processes. Our public universities should not be a retirement home for politicians”
“We therefore call on the Tinubu-led Government to do the needful by reversing its decision on the University Governing Councils dissolution”, he said.
He also stated that ASUU wanted the federal government to put a moratorium on creating more universities without substance.
According to him, the Federal government cannot be establishing more universities without adequate funding of the existing ones.
“Therefore, we call on the government to put a moratorium on creating more universities without substance.
“Our union maintains that the proliferation of public universities without provisions for adequate funding and infrastructure does not auger well for our university system” he stated”
“He further called on FG to look into government’s Visitation Panels to Nigerian universities that make recommendations aimed at improving university governance and administration”
Ubaorji called on government to implement the recommendations of the visitation panels.
