By ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi –
The Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi branch, has said that the process taken by the management for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor is a violation of the institution’s laws.
The union also said that it was “illegal” to allow some principal officers stay in office on acting capacity beyond six months.
The ASUU Chairperson, ATBU Bauchi Branch, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, stated this while speaking to journalists during a press conference at the Union’s Secretariat on Monday.
He wondered why the Acting Registrar, who is the custodian of the University’s laws has engaged in “illegality” by advertising the position of VC while he (the registrar) is illegally occupying his office.
“The advertisement of the vacancy for the post of Vice Chancellor in ATBU Bauchi (Internal and External Advertisement) published on Sunday January 13th, 2024 has got tongues wagging within and outside the University Community due to the absence of the University Council. The Union rejects this illegality because it runs counter to any relevant Law governing the University.
“The Union is worried with the misapplication of the provisions of the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1993 as amended. The provisions of the Act never vested the powers of the advertisement of vacancy for the post of Vice Chancellor with the Hon. Minister of Education nor with the Registrar of the University,” he said.
He added that “there are no circumstances whatsoever in neither the spirit nor the letters of all the University Laws where anybody else rather than the Council, is given the powers to appoint a substantive Vice Chancellor. However, in an abnormal situation, the Law allows the University Senate to appoint an acting Vice Chancellor to hold the office for a maximum period of six months. This position is clearly spelt out in Chapter 16 Subsection A (b) xi-xii of the ATBU Conditions of Service.”
According to Inuwa, ASUU ATBU Branch finds the move disturbing and unbecoming of the Management of the University in using the absence of the Council to “perpetuate illegality even in the face of unambiguous provisions of the Laws”.
Continuing, he said: “This attitude of abusing the University Laws by the University Management has gradually become a norm. For example, the University Management in disregard to all extant Laws and the University Council’s directives that all Principal Officers’ who are in acting capacity should not exceed six months in that capacity and should be replaced by the next most senior Officer in the Unit if the vacancy is not yet properly filled.
“Nonetheless, the University Management violated this directive by allowing the current acting Registrar and other offices to be holding office for more than one year and counting. The Registrar, who is the supposed Custodian of the University Laws is unfortunately accommodating illegality,” he said.
The Union called on the Minister of Education and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who are the supervisory Minister and the Visitor to the University respectively to “earnestly and accordingly use their noble offices to protect what remains in the sanctity of Public Universities in Nigeria by immediately halting the illegally started process of appointment of a Vice Chancellor for the University” and ensure that Governing Councils of Universities are restored immediately to ensure that the Universities run according to the Laws of the land.
Meanwhile, the Director, Information and Public Relations of the University, Zailani Bappa dismissed the lecturers’ claim that the management violated the laws.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with journalists, he said that the management has been following due process by advertising vacant positions.
He said that the law allows the management to advertise the post of the VC in the absence of the Varsity Council.
“We have not violated any law. On other principal officers, we have advertised them to. Also, the law also allows that acting capacity can be renewed after expiration of six months. So, I don’t know what the ASUU mean by what they have said,” Bappa stated.
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