Allegations have surfaced that the Governing Council of the University of Abuja is attempting to impose the Acting Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof. Aisha Maikudi as its substantive Vice Chancellor.
According to sources, the council relaxed the qualification standards for the position to pave the way for Prof. Maikudi’s appointment. This move has raised concerns about the fairness and transparency of the selection process.
According to multiple university sources who spoke to The Bureau Newspaper, the plot to install Prof. Aisha Maikudi as Vice Chancellor is being orchestrated by the immediate past VC, Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah. Sources claim Prof. Na’Allah seeks to repay a debt of gratitude to Prof. Maikudi’s father, who helped him secure the VC position five years ago despite significant opposition.
Sources added that Nigeria’s Education Minister, Tahir Mamman, is also involved in plan. President Bola Tinubu appointed Mamman as education minister in August 2023.
Further investigation by The Bureau Newspaper revealed that the university council’s advertisement for the VC position omitted the typical minimum post-professorial experience requirement. This omission reportedly enables Prof. Maikudi, who became a professor in 2022, to be eligible for the role.
The University of Abuja’s advertisement for a substantive Vice Chancellor requires applicants to be ” an accomplished Professor in a recognized University, with the ability to provide academic and administrative leadership for the University Community.”
Notably, the advert omits the specific requirement for years of post-professorial experience.
In contrast, a review of advertisements from other universities, such as the University of Ilorin and Federal University of Technology Akure, reveals a stringent requirement of at least 10 years of post-professorial experience for Vice Chancellor candidates.
For instance, an advert posted by FUTA and seen by The Bureau Newspaper reads, “The applicant for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, must possess the following qualities and qualifications: Be a highly distinguished scholar of the rank of professor of not less than ten (10) years’ experience on that rank in an institution of high reputation, with ability to provide academic and administrative leadership to the University Community.”
This discrepancy raises questions about the University of Abuja’s selection criteria and potential exceptions being made.
A source in the school said, “How can you advertise five years and later come back and say nothing again when other similar universities are putting 10 years of post-professorial experience for Vice Chancellor candidates? They lowered the standard.
“We have two adverts, the first where they put five years, the second advert under the leadership of the Chairman of the Governing Council, Air Vice Marshall Ismaila Saddiq Kaita (retd.), they removed it.”
Another source said: “The Governing Council of the university is currently embroiled in a crisis of succession to Prof Na’Allah who just stepped down.
“There was a stormy session last Friday over an attempt by the chairman of the new governing council and a few others to impose the current Acting VC (Prof Aisha Maikudi) who wasn’t qualified to apply in the first instance.
“The acting VC was manipulated by the immediate past VC. She became a professor in 2022, and was appointed DVC immediately because her father who hails from Katsina helped Prof. Na’Allah to become VC against all odds five years ago and Na’Allah on the request of her father forced her to be DVC and so was appointed Acting DVC in August.
“When the Governing Council advertised for the vacancy for the post of VC recently, all the standards were lowered to pave the way for the Acting VC who has spent barely two years as a professor. The standard was allegedly lowered for Na’Allah too as only five years post professorial experience was required then instead of 10 years as required.”
The source continued: “The beginning of the manipulation was the cause of the heated and crisis-ridden council meeting last Friday in Abuja where most of the council members objected to the open support of the Chairman/Pro-Chancellor for the Acting VC who is not qualified, according to NUC’s guidelines on VC’s qualification. There are candidates and applicants who have more than 23 years’ post professorial experience.
“The Minister of Education who is also Fulani from Adamawa State is said to be part of the deal to impose an unqualified VC on the University of Abuja,” the source added.
When contacted, the university’s Governing Council Chairman, Saddiq Kaita, denied that the council had given Prof Maikudi any preferential treatment or consideration since the application process began.
He denied allegations of a plot to make the process favour the Acting Vice Chancellor.
“Right now, she has not been confirmed, she is just acting. Her acting capacity does not have anything to do with the board,” he said. “I’m not in the best position to tell you what transpired. But what I can tell you is that the council is working to ensure that we get the best for the position of the substantive VC of the University of Abuja. She is only acting now and nobody has yet to confirm her. It is a process that we are following.”
Dr Habib Yakoob, the Acting Director of information and University Relations also told The Bureau Newspaper that the alleged imposition of any candidate by the council on the university community is speculative and mischievous.
He said: “There is no crisis of succession for the position of vice chancellor at the University of Abuja right now. The advert for the position of vice chancellor was placed on August 26, 2024 and just expired last week. It means that applications from candidates have not even been sorted out.
“At this point, only the selection and search committees (from Council, Senate and Congregation) were constituted. Nothing else has been done.
“So any suggestion of imposition or preference for a particular candidate for VC is purely speculative, premature, and mischievous.
“When the council delves into the real business of appointing the substantive vice chancellor of the university because it is made up of credible and reputable individuals, I am sure they will be very transparent in the process.”
Efforts to reach Education Minister Tahir Maman and Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Maikudi for their comments were unsuccessful, as they didn’t answer multiple calls or respond to text messages sent to them at the time of filing this report.
In June, the Senate of the University of Abuja appointed the youngest Professor of Law in the institution, Aisha Maikudi, as acting Vice Chancellor.
Maikudi, 41, a Professor of International Law, was until then the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics.
Na’Allah rounded off his tenure on June 30, 2024 after a five-year leadership at the institution.